Because I Have You
by x0-vindicated-0x
Summary: They should've been used to it by now. Tragedy clung to their family like velcro, these days. Not like that made it any easier to deal with. ::..-Dasey-..::- part three to the AaF/StD trilogy-
1. Sixty Minutes

**This is the final part to this trilogy. It was honestly only supposed to be one story so I have no clue how I ended up doing this, but oh well. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter One: Sixty Minutes**

One hour. One long, painstaking, nerve-wracking hour. Sixty minutes of no news, no guidance, no indication whatsoever of whether or not their child, their son, their pride and joy, was even alive. It was entirely painful to sit there in the waiting room, having no idea of whether or not your child's heart was even beating, anymore. Derek had tried so hard to push past anyone who got in his way; he had wanted to go in, and be by his son's side. But once the doctor had told him that he was distracting the doctor's with his arguing, he realized that all he was doing was putting his son's life at further risk. He had returned to the waiting room to find Casey, Jayden, and Kelly, all of whom were seated around, silent.

And aside from Casey's occasional inquiries about how long they had been there, nobody had spoken since.

It was a small, private waiting room, and was limited to the four of them. The walls were a light colour of blue, which ended halfway down the wall, and changed off to white wooden planks. The chairs were hard, blue and plastic, and were not very comfortable for lengthy waiting periods such as this one. Not that they were worrying about comfort, anyway.

Derek was seated in the far right corner of the private waiting room, slumped down in his seat. He had one knuckle risen to his mouth pointlessly, and he had been staring at the same spot on the floor in front of him for twenty-five minutes. Casey hadn't even sat down yet. She was pacing back and forth, running a hand through her hair, and asking about the time every fifteen minutes or so. Derek had kept stealing glances at her for the first while, half hoping that he could convince her to come over and sit with him, since he desperately needed her comfort; but he had given up. It was clear that she was in no mood to sit down.

Jayden was sitting on the opposite side of the room from Derek. He hadn't let go of the two year old girl since he'd picked her up off of the side of the road. It was as though he was terrified that this would happen to her, too. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and his mind was quite obviously not focused on anything but his little brother. Derek knew this was killing him, for the two boys were amazing friends, and they always had been. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if something like this had happened to Edwin, Marti, or Lizzie.

Kelly had remained completely silent the whole time. Whether she was in shock, or if she understood that now was not the time to be playful, they didn't know, but they had to admit that they appreciated her silence. She seemed to understand that nobody was in a great mood, and she chose to remain silent. As of that moment, her head was lying against her brother's chest, and she was sound asleep. Jayden kept combing his fingers through her hair, trying to keep her asleep. If she made so much as a noise, he would gently rub her back to calm her. Derek had to smile at this; when Jay grew up, he was going to make an excellent father.

"Are you going to stop pacing?" Derek finally asked Casey, who hadn't stopped moving since they'd arrived. "Seriously, you're going to wear a hole in the floor soon."

She didn't even register that he was speaking to her, and he found that this only angered him. He watched her continue her pacing, before he reached out, and wrapped his fingers around her wrist urgently.

"Casey!" he said firmly, and she turned her head to look at him. Their eyes locked in an immediate connection, and he softened a little. "Stop, please. Save your energy, okay? We're in for a long night."

Her eyes seemed cold and distant, and he couldn't quite pinpoint how and why she was angry with him, but he didn't want to ask her. His hand remained enclosed around her wrist, and he let his eyes dart back and forth between each of hers quickly, waiting for her to respond.

When she finally did, it wasn't what Derek was expecting, at all.

"I can stand if I want to stand." she said, pulling her wrist away from him. He saw Jayden's face darken with worry, and he frowned slightly. Casey took no notice of this, and started pacing again as she answered.

"I don't need you telling me what to do."

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should even bother reacting, but if there was one thing that he had learned from their little ordeal a few years back, it was to solve the problems as they came at you. Don't hold back, don't wait. He never wanted to chance losing Casey again. He stood up, crossing the room, and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. He motioned to Jayden that he would be back, and he hauled her from the room, despite her protests. He let the door close behind them, and he let her stand against the wall. His hand raised up to rest beside her head, and he used it as support.

"I know you're just as upset as I am over this, and I get that you're worried about Jeff. But please don't snap at me, Casey. We need each other right now, and our kids need us. This is rough, but we've gotta stay strong for them. They need us."

She shook her head, her eyes still as cold as they had been when they were in that room together moments before.

"Don't guilt trip me about what the kids need." she said, her voice wavering slightly, but whether it was anger or sadness, he couldn't tell. He knew both emotions were pretty much equal right about now. "I know what our kids need. I raised them too, thank you. And if all you're doing is lecturing me on pacing, then I think I can flip out all I want. You have no right to tell me what to do."

Derek felt his stomach clench at the familar feeling of fighting with her. This was all too familiar, like it had all been done before. He shook his head, combing a strand of hair away from her face with his fingers. He tucked it behind her ear, sighing.

"We're not going down this road again, Case." he informed her, confident in his words. "We're not starting this. Jeff may be in there, fighting for his life, but Jayden and Kelly, they-"

But he trailed off when he realized what his words had done to her. The moment he had mentioned Jeff, the tears that she had been holding back since they got into the ambulance an hour and a half before came spilling out, and she fell forwards, sobbing violently. He was surprised, but caught her, and slowly allowed his arms to wrap around her body, squeezing her tightly to him. He felt the barrier that had been keeping them quiet for the past hour crumble away, and all that was left was their love, and their concern, both for Jeff and for each other.

"We c-can't lose him." she was murmering against his neck, her words slightly muffled. "He's our baby, Derek. He's our little boy. Jeff's only six years old, it's not supposed to work this way. Parents should never have to lose a child, and especially not this way."

"Casey, calm down." he coaxed her, his hand rubbing up and down her back gently as he rested his chin on top of her head. "We don't know anything for sure, yet. Maybe he's awake right now. He could be perfectly fine. We won't know that until we talk to a doctor."

Casey gave a choked laugh, one that was not meant to signal humor in any context. It was meant to belittle his words, to make them meaningless. She looked into his eyes, wincing slightly, though he was not sure why, and she seemed to study his eyes for another moment, as though trying to memorize their pattern. He was sure she already knew them off by heart, now.

"I saw him in the ambulance, Derek. And so did you. Did he look like he could hold on for another hour? Because I really didn't get that vibe."

Before Derek could answer, she gave a shaky sigh, brushing one hand across his cheek gently. He was unsure of why she found his eyes so interesting right now, but after a moment, she spoke up.

"He's got your eyes, Derek." she whispered, pain evident in her words. "Everytime I look into your eyes, I can see him looking right back at me. And I'm just remembering that... the last time I saw him... I never bothered to say anything important..."

"You wouldn't have thought you had to, I guess." he assured her, combing one hand through her hair repetitively. "You should never have to be scared everytime you see your own kid leave your side."

Before she could answer him, the doctor that had left them over an hour ago appeared, looking vaguely grim. Neither of them took this as a good sign, and Derek held onto her fearfully as they both awaited the doctor's words.

"He's alive..." was all he said, but there was something in his voice that prevented either of them from feeling very hopeful. "We managed to replace most of the blood he lost, and he did require a large number of stitches. His right arm was broken, along with with his wrist and ankle, and he broke a few ribs as well. But we have most of that fixed up now."

Derek had calmed down a little bit, but Casey, being the more rational one, was not calm at all. She watched the doctor, uncertainty clear in her eyes as she spoke.

"I get the feeling that there's something you aren't telling us." she said slowly, sounding frightened. "You don't seem to be overly confident about this."

The doctor looked downwards for a moment, as though contemplating whether or not this was a good time to be discussing this. But when he looked back up, he saw the sense of urgency in Casey's eyes, and he sighed, glancing down at his clipboard again.

"When your son was hit, he sustained a very serious blow to the head." he said slowly, tucking his clipboard underneath his right arm. "We didn't think it was all that serious at first, and we were more concerned with fixing the blood loss... but we're realizing now that it was more serious than we thought."

The two remained motionless, wordless... terrified.

"We're trying our hardest to keep him awake, right now... but he's in a serious danger-zone for a coma."

Derek's body stiffened as Casey buried her face into his chest, crying. His eyes had widened, and he couldn't even find it in him to comfort Casey. All he could do was hug her close to him, but no words of comfort left his lips. Maybe because he fully understood no words of comfort were really appropriate here. Telling her not to cry, or that it would all be okay, would not help at all here, because he didn't know if it would all be okay. And she was definitely going to cry, whether he liked it or not.

"When will you know?" Derek asked, knowing that he had to stay strong for Casey. If he cried along with her, she'd feel as though she had no solid support system. And she needed one.

The doctor shook his head, frowning.

"I don't know." he admitted, sounding as though he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. "I'll find you the second we hear anything on him."

Derek nodded, wanting to allow the doctor to get back to his work, and the man left, walking into a room down the hall, and he closed the door behind him. Casey was sobbing uncontrollably into his chest, and a woman who was passing by the hallway looked at her with pity.

Not wanting her to be out in the open like this, as an object of pity, he rubbed her back gently before kissing the side of her head, and reaching for her hands.

"Come on, baby." he said softly, using one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear before taking her hands again. "We'll go get you cleaned up a little. There's a bathroom down the hall. Come on, you can cry all you want, just come with me."

She allowed him to lead her down the hall, and he pulled her into the bathroom, not giving a damn if anyone saw him or thought it was weird. It was a private bathroom, of course, and he placed the toilet seat down, allowing her to sit. He crossed the room to the sink, and grabbed two paper towels, wetting one with water, and leaving the other dry.

He kneeled in front of her, handing her the paper towel, but she was so upset that she didn't even have the energy to take it.

Sighing, he used the wet one to wipe around her eyes a little, where her mascara was running, and used the dry one to gently dry her tears away, although they were very quickly replaced.

"Case, come on." he begged her, not wanting to see her cry. "We don't know anything for sure yet."

"My fault." she said, shaking her head. "I'm his mother. I'm supposed to be looking after him. It could've just as easily been Kelly. Or both of them. I'm supposed to..."

She trailed off, and he shook his head, taking her face gently in his hands.

"It is _not_ your fault." he assured her, needing her to understand that. "This was an accident, Casey. Jeff is six years old, and you know he loves wandering off; although I really thought he knew better than to wander into the streets."

Casey's crying had faded a little bit, and she managed to shake her head, giving a little sniffle as she wiped away a few remaining tears.

"He does know better." she told him, and he frowned, not understanding. "A man that was walking up the street at the time said he saw it happen, but he was too far to stop it. I heard him telling Edwin as we were getting in the ambulance. Apparantly, him and Kel were fooling around, and he had his back turned and she wandered into the street. And when he turned, there was a car coming, and he ran to get her out of the way and... well..."

He trailed off, knowing that there was no need for him to continue with his story. She knew what came after that.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized something, and she gasped, jumping up and nearly knocking poor Derek over. He caught his balance, pulling himself up, and he caught her right before she stumbled as she darted for the door. His hands found their way around her waist, and he shook his head, reaching up to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"What's your rush?" he asked, glad that she had stopped crying, but confused by her sudden burst of energy.

Her eyes were filled with panic, and she shot him a desperate look, her hand still frozen on the doorknob.

"What if the doctor comes back, and he can't find us?" she asked him, and he had to admit that she had a good point.

Before he could even respond, however, she had pulled away from his grasp and yanked the door open. She darted out into the hall, and banged right into the doctor. She started to fall backwards, but he caught her, although Derek made a pretty desperate dive for her at the same time. The doctor gave her a gentle push in Derek's direction. Derek willingly wrapped one arm around her waist, watching the doctor intently.

"Glad I found you." he said, though he did not sound glad at all. He gave the two of them a weird look as his eyes wandered to the room that they'd just left, but Derek figured that he understood, and that maybe this sort of thing happened often, for he dropped it, and stared at the two of them with pity in his eyes.

Derek had to admit that the grave look on his face did not appear too promising.

"How's our son?" he asked shakily, feeling as though he already knew the answer. Nothing too good could've happened in that short amount of time.

And sure enough, only bad news left the doctor's mouth.

"Your son slipped into a coma about five minutes ago, when I was out talking to you." he said, and Derek felt Casey's body weaken in his arms. He struggled to hold her up, but she surprised him by stepping away from him slightly, and supporting herself. He was even more surprised to see she was not crying anymore, not at all.

"The other doctors were trying everything they could do to revive him, but nothing worked. We've got him hooked up to a breathing and feeding tube, and we're monitoring what little brain activity is going on. I'm really sorry to tell you that he's basically hovering somewhere between life and death right now. We think he's more on the safe side, but coma's can last a pretty long time, and some people never come out of them."

Derek didn't need to be told all of this. His father's nineteen year old cousin Ricky had been in a coma for seven months when Derek was only five, following an accident. At seven months, he had been pronounced officially brain-dead, at which his parents had requested that the doctor's pull the plugs on him. Derek hadn't fully understood how hard it had been for them to do it, and now, he had a hard time imagining such a thing. He'd never be able to look at the doctor, and request that his son be put to rest.

Then again, if his future was already sealed, doomed to a single hospital bed for the rest of his life, taking up money and space that could be saving other people's lives... but still. He didn't think he'd ever be able to do it.

He cringed, and reached for Casey's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Can we go in to see him?" he requested, frowning. "Please? It'd mean the world to us, just to see him... to know he's really still here."

The doctor nodded, and Derek stepped forward, but stopped when he realized that Casey, who still had his hand, was not following. He turned to look at her, frowning, and he was confused when she remained where she was, her eyes wide and fearful, and her face white.

"Case?" he asked, not letting go of her hand. "Case, what's wrong? Why aren't you coming?"

She didn't answer him, and the doctor stopped too, noticing their situation. His eyebrows furrowed together, and he frowned, not understanding.

"Mrs.Venturi?" he asked, tucking his pad of paper underneath his arm, and watching her intently. "Are you coming?"

She remained completely still, and Derek squeezed her hand gently, coaxing her back to focus. She shook out of her trance, still frowning.

"Wh- oh..." she said, biting her lip for a moment. "Is he... I mean... how much blood... how does he..."

"If you're worried about how he looks... I'll be honest. He'll look different. He's got stitches and casts, and he's pretty beaten up. But we've cleaned the blood off of him, and done as much as we can to cover his wounds, if that's what you're worried about."

Derek had not yet taken his eyes off of her, and he knew what was on her mind. He shook his head, moving a tiny bit towards her.

"Casey, is this too hard on you?" he asked, his voice gentle and relaxing. "Be honest. If you think seeing him like that would be too much... you don't have to come in. I won't hold it against you, and neither would Jeff."

The doctor nodded, trying to coax her into making the right decision for her own well-being.

"He's right." he said, sounding honest. "More parents than you think elect not to go in right away, purely because they can't stand to see their child in so much pain."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and Derek knew that she was seriously considering it. But after a moment, she shook her head, squeezing Derek's hand tightly.

"I can handle it." she said, putting on her best brave face. Derek immediately reminded himself of why he loved her so much, and he gave her a very small smile, feeling extremely proud of her for finding the courage to come along with him. She had enough trouble seeing blood, let alone realizing that the blood had come from her own child, who was quite obviously in alot of pain.

"Good girl." Derek said, kissing her temple quickly, before following along behind the doctor, with Casey right beside him.

They stopped outside of a door halfway down that hall, and the doctor turned to them again, looking quite serious.

"Be very careful of the wires and tubes. If any of them get shifted or disconnected, the consequences could be brutal." he warned them, and they nodded hastily, just wanting to see their son. The doctor nodded briefly, reaching for the doorknob, and turning slowly.

"Let me know when you're leaving." he said, nodding at them, and he pushed the door open for the two of them to enter the room. Derek saw Casey's hesitance, and he sighed, pushing the door fully open, and going in first. He held onto her hand, giving her a comforting nod, and she bit back every ounce of her reluctance, and followed her husband into the hospital room, her entire body overwhelmed with shock and nasuea. She was more frightened than she was letting on, and she had a feeling that Derek knew that, but was choosing not to let on.

He did, however, mention the fear in her eyes. He stopped her before she made her way to the bed, where a very small person was lying, hidden out of view by the blankets, and he placed a hand on her lower back, kissing her cheek as the door swung closed behind them.

"Everything will be okay, baby." he whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and allowing a very small smile to grace his lips. "Jeff's a strong kid. Just try to stay strong for him, too. Can you do that?"

She looked him right in the eye, and somehow, she found the courage to nod in agreement. He kissed her again; he was so proud of her. He knew this was killing her, hell it was killing them all, but she was trying to handle it bravely, and he had to give her credit for that, at least.

They slowly made their way towards their son's bed, hand in hand, terrified of what they were about to find. Derek half expected to see Jeff's eyes open up at him, and his son flash him a huge smile, like he always did. He half expected this to be all one sick joke at their expense. But somehow, he knew that this was real, and what he was about to see was going to be nothing beyond absolute reality, combined with some horrible, twisted, nightmare.

His first thought, when he saw his son, was that this bed was way too big for him. Jeff's tiny body seemed to sit dead in the middle of it, and he barely took up half. Derek rather felt that this was because children should never belong in such a place. Kid's belonged in playgrounds, and in backyards and houses... not in hospital beds, hooked up to life support. That was one place a parent should never have to witness their child staying.

He choked over his own breath as his breathing hitched somewhere in his throat. He felt Casey's hand give a tiny twitch in his as her eyes fell upon his swollen and bruised face. Derek could tell how much pain Jeff must be in right about now, and he knew that his facial features were distorted beyond belief right now.

But he also knew that when the swelling went down, somewhere beneath the bruises and cuts would be silly, plain, old Jeff. His son, his buddy.

And he didn't intend on thinking of him any other way.

He dropped Casey's hand, and took a seat very carefully on the edge of the bed, being careful to avoid hitting any wires or tubes, which was almost impossible. He reached down, placing his hand very gently over his son's tiny one. Even his hand was cut up, but Derek ignored it, forcing a smile down at his son.

"Jeff?" he questioned, his thumb running across the back of his son's hand gently. "Jeff, buddy? Can you hear me?"

His son remained motionless, lying on his back, facing the ceiling. His eyes were closed, and all that could be seen were his eyelids. His face was a pale white colour, almost terrifying to Derek. It was as though every single ounce of energy and life had been zapped from the little boy, and he was just a body, now. Derek was so used to seieng Jeff as this big, bundle of energy, and now he was just... there. Motionless, practically lifeless.

Casey took a step forwards, drawing in a shuddery breath. Her head came to rest on Derek's shoulder, and she stared down at her son sadly.

"I c-can't believe that's him." she whispered, so that he had to strain his ears to hear her. "He's so... so..."

"I know." Derek murmered, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, but keeping his other one over Jeff's hand. He kissed the side of her head, knowing exactly what was going through her mind right about now.

"He's still our son." he reminded her, cringing at the sight of him. "No matter what... even if he comes out of this with all these bruises and scars and everything-"

"-we'll still love him." she finished for him, her eyes closing. "I don't care what he looks like. He's my little boy, and I just want him back. It's like... there's this guilt, just eating away at me, Derek. It's like I could've done something, anything... and all of the 'what-if's' keep floating through my mind... and they're so damn hard to get rid of."

"Not your fault." he mumbled, not wanting her to blame herself for anything. This was not her fault, not at all, and he didn't want her to think that. "Accident's happen, baby. You weren't there, and neither was I. We've told Jeff not to go wandering off without us... but he's six years old, Casey. He's going to do what he wants to do... and it's just that, this time, it led him into trouble."

Casey nodded, though he knew that she didn't really believe him, and she moved to sit on the bed. Derek stood up, realizing that it would be too risky for the both of them to sit in the midst of the wires and tubes that were keeping their son alive, and he stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders gently to relax her a little bit. She was incredibly tense, and he felt so bad for her. He knew she still felt guilty, even if she had no reason to.

He moved so that his chest was against her back, and he kissed the top of her head, his eyes still fixed on his motionless son.

"Everything is going to work out, Case." he assured her, not really believing his own words. "You watch... he's a really strong kid. He'll pull through. I know he will."

Casey sniffed, though he knew she was through with crying, for now. She stared at Jeff for another moment, taking in the sight of him, before she turned her head to look up at her husband. There was so much emotion in her eyes that Derek could've gotten lost in it. Sadness, confusion, pain and longing were most dominant, and he cringed as he waited for her to say something.

"We've been through way too much to lose him now, Derek." she told him, shaking her head. "I don't get how we deserve this."

"We don't." he informed her, squeezing her shoulders gently as she turned back to the young boy on the bed. "Nobody deserves this. But like it or not, we've gotta deal with it now."

* * *

**Yeah, so there's chapter one. My exams start on Friday, so the time between updates for the next week or so might be a bit longer than usual, but I'll try my hardest. Review, please, with whether or not I should continue. Hope you liked it! **


	2. Tension

**Here's chapter two. Enjoy! I stayed up late to finish this one for tonight!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Two: Tension**

It had been an hour, and Casey still wasn't willing to leave the hospital room. She was sitting at her son's side, clasping his tiny hand in her own, and whispering useless words of comfort to him. Derek was all over the place. For the first half an hour, he'd stayed right behind Casey, allowing his hands to rub comforting circles on her back. He'd been trying to soothe her a little bit, for he'd actually began to worry that she'd have a panic attack. But once it was clear that her breathing was returning to something of a normal level again, he'd stood up and crossed the room to stand against the windowsill.

He had remained completely silent ever since, and had tuned everything around him, out. Occasionally, he would allow some of Casey's soothing words to Jeff to make their way past his ears, but he could find no meaning in any of them. Hearing his wife tell their child that it would all be okay meant nothing to him, because he knew, deep down, that it wouldn't be okay. Nothing was alright, and as kind as Casey's intentions may be, he knew that Jeff couldn't hear a word that his mother was saying to him. And that very idea was terrifying to Derek. He just wanted his son to wake up, so that they could all go home and be the happy family that they usually were. Well, for the most part. He didn't want Jeff to be in pain; he didn't want Casey to cry anymore, and he didn't want to have to go and face anymore of the doctor's bad news.

Derek glanced down at his watch and saw that an hour had passed, and it was past suppertime. He wasn't hungry, but he had two kids who probably were.

He sighed, and pushed himself away from the windowsill. He made his way towards Casey, placing a hand gently on her back.

"We'd better get going." he said quietly, trying to avoid looking at his seemingly lifeless son on the bed. "The kids will be getting impatient, and Kelly will be bugging Jayden for supper, by now."

Casey sniffed, shaking her head firmly.

"You go." she suggested, her voice shaking miserably. "Take the kids home, and get them calmed down. I'll stay here with Jeff, and take a cab home later."

Derek shook his head, not willing to let her become obsessive.

"No, Casey." he said, gripping her arm to lift her up. She stayed firmly in her seat, not willing to move, and he sighed, wondering how he had ever ended up marrying a woman that was this stubborn.

He let go of her arm, and crouched down slightly to look her in the eye.

"Come on, baby." he said softly, trying to persuade her to stand up, at least. "You can't help him by sitting here. You've got two more kids out there in that waiting room, and you know what? They need their parents to be strong, right now."

Casey snorted, swiping quickly at a tear that had rolled quietly down her cheek.

"Do I look strong to you?" she challenged, and he leaned down, kissing her forehead quickly, before pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"You, Casey Venturi, are the bravest, and strongest girl that I know. You'd have to be, to put up with everything I've thrown at you."

She managed to crack a very tiny smile, though it was forced, and he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. Her gaze raised to meet his, and his hand reached down to grip her chin. He brought her face closer to his, and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her body relax at the contact. The kiss only lasted a moment, before he pulled back, keeping their faces close together. The kiss hadn't been anything special, just enough to relax her a little bit before they had to go and face their children.

"Like I said, you're strong." he asid, keeping her chin in his hand gently. "And right now, we've got two children out in the waiting room, who need their parents to be brave for them. And Jeff? He'd be proud of his Mom for being so damn strong at a time like this."

He allowed his eyes to flicker over to Jeff's pale face, and his bruised skin. He cringed, but sucked in a deep breath, forcing himself to look back at Casey.

"We've gotta do this for them." he said, swallowing hard. "And as much as I hate having to do this, we've gotta go out there and tell Jayden and Kelly that their brother is-"

He trailed off as his throat closed off painfully with realization. Casey smiled sadly, although she had to force it very hard.

"-comatose?" she suggested, and she didn't last another moment before she burst into tears, and fell against his chest, crying.

And all he could do was hold her.

- - - -

He wasn't sure how long she cried for. It could've been two minutes, it could've been twenty. He didn't take notice, to be quite honest, because he didn't care. All he knew was that she was upset, and that she was his responsibility. That meant that it was his job to comfort her.

And he did. He held her until no more tears could escape her eyes, and she was somewhat calm, though by no mean's relaxed. He wanted her to be cried out by the time they had to face their kids.

So once she'd stopped crying completely, he'd dried her tears away, and together, they'd returned to the waiting room, hand in hand.

And now, they stood in the private room, where they had left their oldest son with their daughter. Casey's hand was clutching into Derek's desperately, or maybe it was the other way around; neither of them really knew, or cared. All they knew was that they had each other right now.

Jayden stared up at the adults nervously, bringing himself to his feet slowly.

"How is he?" he asked, but both parents remained silent.

He turned first to Casey, for she was always one to be truthful with him, even during the worst of times.

"Mom?" he asked, but she kept her gaze fixed on the floor, either unable, or unwilling, to answer him.

He frowned, but tried not to take her silence as a huge blow. He still had Derek, right? He turned to her husband, his father, his role model... his friend.

"D?" he questioned hopefully, bringing the old nickname back into use. Derek's eyes met with his, dark and troubled. He dropped Casey's hand, but when he saw the look on her face, one that clearly meant she needed him, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her against his side as he ran a hand through his hair. Blowing out a deep breath, he struggled to respond. When he found that he couldn't, he looked away shamefully.

Their chosen silence told Jayden everything that he needed to know.

"Oh God..." he choked out, his face paling immediately. He seemed to fully understand that whatever it was his parents were choosing not to share with him was not good, not at all."

"Dad, what did he... is he... why aren't you..."

His voice died away slowly, and Derek could sense the teen's discomfort and confusion. He fixed his eyes for one brief moment upon the little girl, who was sitting quietly upon the floor. Jayden had spread a few toys out around her, though when he had gotten the time to run into the house and get them, as they waited for the ambulance, Derek would never know. He must be a pretty quick thinker. Nonetheless, Kelly hadn't touched them. She had eyes only for her father, who had never been so serious, nor so speechless. He knew that the poor little girl must be absolutely confused and frightened right about now. She had been seemingly invisible after it had been determined that she was okay, back at the scene of the accident.

Derek sighed, and pulled away from Casey as he kneeled down, and extended his arms to his daughter.

"C'mere." he said, giving her a tiny jerk of the head.

Her face relaxed as she stood up shakily, and wobbled towards her father, allowing him to lift her up into his arms. Once she was secured safely, he straightened up again, hugging her to him.

"How's my girl?" he asked quietly, combing his fingers through her hair gently. "Being good for your brother?"

She only nodded her head, her thumb stuck into her mouth by now as she lay her head down against Derek's shoulder. He frowned; Kelly was never quiet. She wasn't a little troublemaker like Jeff or Derek, but she wasn't exactly quiet. She was just like her mother. If there was something to be said, she'd say it as well as a two year old could, and usually, nothing would stop her.

"How come you're so quiet, Princess?" he asked her, using his best calming voice. He was amazing with his daughter, and everyone knew it. "Something you wanna tell me?"

She shook her head to indicate that there wasn't, and he felt some of his hopes die away, knowing that she was lying.

"How about your Mommy? Do you wanna tell her?" he asked, with a meaningful look at his wife, who looked just as concerned as he did.

But Kelly shook her head again, and he sighed, kissing her forehead lightly. If she didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to, and he knew that there was absolutely nothing he could do about that. She would probably forget about it in an hour, anyway.

He looked over at Jayden, who still looked worried and nervous, and he knew what he had to do.

"Casey, do you want to take Kelly downstairs to the cafeteria and get her something to eat?" he asked, and he watched as she opened her mouth to protest.

One pointed look from her husband silenced her, and she shut her mouth closed, nodding as she reached for her daughter, understanding that Derek needed some alone time with Jayden, to explain everything. It was better if Derek did the explaining, for Casey probably wouldn't make it past the second word without crying.

"Sure." she said, allowing Derek to kiss her on the cheek. "Come on, Kel. Maybe we can find you some ice-cream for dessert, if we're lucky."

"With choca' chunks?" she asked hopefully, speaking her first words since they'd left, and Casey nodded as they went out the door.

"Maybe with chocolate chunks, who knows?" she said, putting on her best front for her daughter's sake. The door swung closed, and the girl's voices died off as the room was left to Derek and Jayden, the two original members of this wonderfully confusing family.

Derek stuck one hand in his pocket, and leaned the other against the wall, bowing his head down. Akwardness was never a part of his and Jayden's relationship; it never had been. But all of a sudden, everything was silent, and nothing could be said between the two of them. It was weird, because really, there was so much to say. It was just too hard.

"Dad, you've got to tell me about Jeff." Jayden said, taking a few steps towards Derek, who was still a good foot taller than him. "He's my little brother. If there's something going on, I deserve to know about it. I'm not a kid, I can handle it."

Derek drew in a deep breath, stepping away from the wall, and pushing his other hand into his pocket as well. How was this so hard for him? All he had to do was say it.

But saying the words would make everything feel so real, and Derek wasn't sure he could handle that.

Nonetheless, he owed Jayden an explanation, so he removed his hands from his pockets, and folded his arms across his chest pointedly.

"You're right. You're old enough to handle this, so I'm going to tell you. You deserve to know."

Jayden nodded, and Derek looked him square in the eye, preparing himself.

"Jeff's in a coma, bud." he said, his heart breaking at the words. "He's got a bunch of physical injuries, and if he makes it out of this thing without some serious physiotherapy, it'll be a miracle. Actually, it'll be more of a miracle if he wakes up, the way they're talking about him. Coma's can be difficult to get out of, and, well... he's so small, and right now, he's weak. His body is having a hard time fighting this off, and-"

He trailed off when he saw the terrified look on Jayden's face. He knew then. He hadn't told Kelly this, because Kelly was just a kid, she wouldn't understand it. She wasn't ready to face it. But apparantly, neither was Jayden. It was times like this that reminded him that Jayden wasn't done growing up yet. He still had alot of trouble facing the possibility and prospect of losing someone he loved. Derek guessed that this meant even he wasn't finished growing up either, because he felt he wasn't prepared for this at all, no more than Jayden was.

"He's... no..." Jayden managed to choke out, shaking his head. "You can't be serious... he's Jeff... he's just a kid, he can't be..."

"I know, bud. But I need you to help me out, okay? Casey is freaking out, and Kelly is too young to get any of this... and I'm... well, I'm just me. I can barely take care of myself, you know?"

Jayden frowned, shaking his head at Derek.

"You take care of this whole family, D." he said, his voice confident and honest. "I don't know what you're talking about. We wouldn't even be a family if it wasn't for you."

Derek laughed. That wasn't true. He often wondered how he'd even got a woman like Casey to fall in love with him. Sometimes, when he watched how calmly she could handle most other situations, he was jealous. He always heard people saying how accomplished she was, and how she always managed to balance her life perfectly, and he had to admit that sometimes, he got jealous. He still thought of himself as that unbalanced, immature, guy.

"Casey's the one who keeps us together." he argued, sighing. "I have to wonder how she does it."

Jayden folded his arms across his chest, looking unmoved in his theory.

"If she keeps everyone together, why are you comforting her?" he asked, frowning. "It's combined effort, alright? But back to the point, I want to see Jeff."

Derek sighed, and remembered then that they were supposed to alert the doctor when they left the hospital room. He supposed that, since they hadn't told him yet, he could go back in with Jayden, without anyone really knowing. He knew that Jayden was old enough to handle seeing his younger brother, no matter how much this was hurting him. The two of them were amazing friends, and he deserved to be granted this privilege.

So he nodded his head, unfolding his arms, and giving a tiny jerk of the head towards the doorway.

"Come on, then." he told his son, his face serious. "I'll take you in to see him."

He made his way out the door, and towards Jeff's room, with Jayden following along behind him.

"He looks really different right now, okay?" he said, his voice quivering slightly. "But I want you to keep in mind that, well, under the wires and the bandages and the cuts and bruises... he's still your little brother, and he still needs us. Now more than ever, actually."

Jayden swallowed hard, but nodded as they came to a stop outside the door of the room Jeff was being held in.

"It makes no difference to me." he said, shrugging. "He's just Jeff. It doesn't matter what he looks like."

Derek nodded, proud of Jayden for understanding, and when he opened the door, he merely allowed the teenager to go in first, past him. Jayden shot him an uncertain look, as though he was trying very hard to mask his reluctance and concern.

Derek waited in the doorway until Jayden was inside the room, and he frowned, scratching the back of his neck akwardly. He knew that Jayden was the type of guy who'd like to be able to have a few minutes alone with his brother, so he decided that it would be best if he just left the two of them alone for awhile.

"Listen, bud." he said, as Jayden froze a few feet away from the bed, unable, or unwilling, to go any further. "I'm going to go downstairs to find Casey and your sister, and tell them where we are, just in case they get worried. I'll come back up here when I find them, okay?"

Jayden kept his back turned, but nodded, apparantly too nervous to even turn around. Derek shifted uncomfortably, unsure now of whether or not Jayden was even okay with him leaving. He'd thought it would be what he wanted, and he usually knew Jayden down to the very last thought.

Then again, he could be wrong. He was Derek Venturi, but everyone had to be wrong sometimes. He guessed that would include him.

"You're, uh... you're okay with me leaving, right?"

Jayden glanced over his shoulder, and Derek could see traces of concern in his eyes as he nodded his head, signalling that it was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said, his voice stronger than it had been a few moments before. "Go ahead."

So he did. He closed the door behind him, and started down the hall, but then remembered that he had forgotten to tell Jayden where to go if he finished up before Derek got back.

"Dammit." he muttered, turning around, and making his way towards the room again. He cracked the door open gently, opening his mouth to speak, when he trailed off, listening to the words that Jayden, who was too preoccupied to even hear the door opening up, was saying.

"-and I know that sometimes I tell you you're really annoying, or... or I'll kick you out of my room when my friends are around, and I know that sometimes I don't let you play soccer with me and my friends. I know you get mad at me when I tell you to get lost, and when I make fun of you because you're short... but Dad did that me, and I survived, didn't I?" he said, laughing lightly. "Point is, bud... I may act like a jerk sometimes, but you're my little brother. That's what I'm supposed to do. But don't think it means I don't want you around. I really do... and if you don't make it out of this thing... I don't know what I'll do."

There was traces of pain in his voice, and Derek drew back slightly, not wanting to be seen, even if Jay's back was turned.

"You know, when they told me I was gonna have a brother, I wasn't too happy about it." he admitted, and Derek smiled slightly, remembering the incident. "But I was wrong. I got the best brother ever. You're a pretty cool kid, and even though we're nine years apart, we've always managed to be best friends."

There was a pause, and he went on.

"You're named after my Dad." he said, his voice slightly prouder as he spoke. "My real one. I was only a few years older than you are when he died, but I still remember him. Well, obviously. I'd never be able to forget my Dad. He was a really great guy, Jeff. You would've liked him. Derek tells me that he was really brave, and that he was one of the strongest people he knew. He had a tough life, trying to raise me by himself, but he stuck through it. And you know what? I think our parents did a great job naming you, 'cause you're just like him. You're one brave kid, so I know you're gonna pull through this."

Derek smiled faintly at how comforting Jayden could be, even when they knew that Jeff probably couldn't hear a word that was being said. Still, it was better to talk to him, and treat him like you normally would, rather than just stare at him. It was a good way to get your feelings out, anyway.

Deciding to give Jayden his privacy, he closed the door. He didn't want Jay to know that he'd overheard, so he decided to just find him later.

- - - -

Derek wandered into the cafeteria of the hospital, glancing around for any sign of his wife, or his daughter. Since it was shortly after dinner, the room was starting to empty out, but there was the odd table of families that were sitting around, finishing off a meal, or else just having a drink. Maybe they had been here all day, or something. Derek didn't know, and he couldn't bring himself to care.

The cafeteria was fairly large, and it took him about three minutes to scout out Casey's head above the crowds. She was sitting at a table against the far right wall, away from most of the other people. Kelly was sitting on her lap, an upset pout on her face. He squinted as he saw that there was a various assortment of food packages scattered across the table, only about half of them opened. Casey was holding a piece of a sandwich towards Kelly, who shook her head, clamping her mouth firmly closed.

He came to a stop in front of the table, and leaned his hands against an empty chair, looking across the table at Casey.

"Are you trying to spend my entire paycheck on making the poor girl obese?" he asked, frowning down at the seven or eight different types of food that she'd purchased.

Casey looked up as she shifted Kelly onto her other knee, cringing with discomfort.

"No." she spat out, her voice strangely bitter. "She just won't eat anything."

Derek frowned, and went around the table, crouching down in front of Casey to look his daughter in the eye. Kelly didn't overeat, or anything, but it was never a problem to get the little girl to eat a meal. She had never been a picky eater. She had a healthy appetite.

Derek smiled faintly at his daughter, though it was more out of concern, and he tilted her chin up, giving her an affectionate gaze.

"Aren't you hungry, Kel?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm. She pouted, and shook her head. "Come on, Princess. Look at everything Mommy bought you. She got taters... you love those... no?"

She was shaking her head, and Derek glanced up at Casey, who looked completely worn out as she shrugged, shifting a little to adjust Kelly on her lap.

"She hasn't eaten anything yet." she said, sounding desperate. "I've tried like, everything here. She won't even take a bite out of it."

Derek frowned with concern, picking up a snack sized package of cookies off the table. Not the healthiest choice, but it was food, nonetheless.

"How about some cookies?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow suggestively, and she turned her head away, scowling. Derek sighed, feeling slightly discouraged. He racked his brain, trying to think of something, when it came to him.

"Do you still want that ice cream?" he asked her, hope flooding through him. She shook her head, and Casey sighed, standing up and lifting Kelly into her arms.

"I've tried that already, Der." she informed him, gathering up the food into it's packages, and placing them in her bag. "She's not going to eat anything."

Derek straightened up, and reached out, tucking Kelly's hair behind her ears as she rested her head against her mother's shoulder.

"Well, she's gotta eat something, Case." he sighed, examining his daughter with concern. "She's two. You can't let a two year old starve."

"Well excuse me if she won't open her mouth, I don't really feel like force feeding my god damn child." Casey snapped, her voice a low hiss so that nobody else could hear them. Nonetheless, it still came out loud. Derek's eyes widened, and he backed off slowly, shaking his head.

"Would you relax?" he asked, shocked at her outburst. "I'm a foot away from you, woman. I can hear you loud and clear. If you bring it up a notch, I'm sure the people in China could, too."

Casey rolled her eyes, shifting Kelly to her other hip, a scowl evident on her features.

"Not the time for jokes, Derek."

"Right." he snorted, annoyed. "I forgot there was a time frame for jokes. Am I in the time frame for kissing you, or is that out too? 'Cause if it is, I definitely have some complaints."

Casey's eyes narrowed, and she shook her head at him, as though disgusted.

"Seriously, Derek. Learn some restraint."

With that, she walked away from him, her hair flying behind her, the two year old in her arms. Derek was about to curse under his breath when a loud shriek met his ears, and he snapped his head up, very tuned into his surroundings. When he looked towards his wife and daughter, he saw that the little girl was crying, and was reaching over Casey's shoulders towards Derek. Casey's eyes were wide and her cheeks were red as she struggled to calm down the little girl.

"Kelly, baby, calm down. Please, sweetheart. It's okay."

"Daddy!" Kelly cried, her hands outstretched towards her father in sudden desperation. "I want..."

Casey was looking at Derek nervously, and he merely stared on, shocked by the little girl's sudden outburst. She narrowed her eyes at him, giving him a pointed look.

"Don't just stand there, Derek. Come over here!" she said, and he snapped back to focus, nodding his head as he saw the tear stains on Kelly's pretty face.

"Right, I'm sorry." he said, and he darted over towards them, smoothing his daughter's hair away from her face. "Hey? Why are you crying, Princess?"

He gave Casey a desperate look, and she sighed, handing the little girl over to him. He immediately secured his hold on her, and held the crying toddler against his chest, rocking her back and forth gently. He had a special gift with his daughter, and everyone knew it. They had a very close bond and, like Casey said, he was a sucker for her.

"Don't cry, baby." he whispered against her ear, rubbing her back. "Daddy's here. What's wrong?"

She merely shook her head, and he sighed, holding her tighter. She was two years old, and she was known for having little tantrums like this. But this was way too extreme. What worried him was that she wasn't eating, and she was having seperation anxiety like this. Jeff had gone through it, but not nearly as bad. And at least the kid had been eating.

"You should take her home." he said to Casey, who frowned at him.

"She loves you, why don't you do it?" she asked, and it came out colder than intended, which Derek took immediate notice of. His face fell, and he gave her a confused look, trying to keep his voice down, as not to scare his daughter.

"She loves you too, Case." he said, shaking his head. "What was that supposed to mean?"

She ran a tired hand through her hair, sighing, and he knew that she was completely stressed out. He knew that he would have to start cutting her a little bit of slack. She was moody when she was upset about something, or stressed out, and right now, she was both.

"I never meant it that way." she assured him, her voice calmer, now. "I just meant that... I don't want to get halfway home and have her start screaming for you, again. She's been doing that, lately. She's going through a phase."

"I'm a phase?" Derek repeated, though he raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Well glad to hear it, baby. So when are you going to shake the 'Derek-phase'?"

He was trying to soften the tension between them, and she must have caught onto that, for she smiled, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

"I think I'm pretty much stuck with it." she admitted, sounding careless. "But I'm not complaining."

Derek smirked, securing his hold on Kelly as he allowed Casey to hug him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, which was an akward position with a child between them, and she managed to actually smile at him. He was relieved at the obvious affection in her smile; he hated it when they were fighting.

"I'll take her home, if you want." he offered, deciding it was best to just give in. "I'll drop of her off at Cole's, and then come back for you."

She shook her head, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Forget it." she said, reaching for Kelly. "You're right. It'd be stupid for you to go out there and then come all the way back. I'll go to Cole's with Kelly, and you pick us up on your way home. How does that sound? If Kelly starts crying again, I'll just... I'll deal with it."

"You sure?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow. "I can come back, if you want."

"No, you go back up with Jayden and talk to the doctors. Call me when you're coming to get us, okay?"

He could sense that she was being genuinely kind, and he nodded, leaning forward to kiss her very quickly. He pulled back almost immediately, since she had Kelly up in her arms.

"Love you, Case." he said, and then looked down at his daughter, grinning. "And I love you too, Kel."

She sniffed, tears still in her eyes, and Derek brushed his hand against her cheek. It always tickled her when he did that, and a tiny giggle left her mouth as she smiled through the tears, wrapping her smaller fingers around his hand.

"Love Daddy too." she grinned, and she extended her arms for a hug, which Derek eagerly returned. He kissed the top of his daughter's head, and pulled back, sighing.

"I'll see you soon." he said, nodding towards them, and Casey adjusted her bag on her shoulder, giving him a sad smile.

"Tell me what the doctor's say." she said, backing up a little. "Don't be too long, okay?"

"I won't." he said, shaking his head. "I'll see you soon."

She walked out of the cafeteria, and Derek sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he watched his two girls leaving the room. He only had four people to take care of. And right now, it was like all of them were depending on him, and he was letting every single one of them down. He knew this wasn't his fault, but as a father and husband, he felt a strong sense of responsibity for them.

He sighed. Life was never fair; for him, anyways. It was something he really should've dealt with by now.

* * *

**The drama will come in in the next chapter, but sorry if this one was boring. It was mostly a transitional chapter for Jayden to find out about Jeff. Kelly hasn't found out yet, but she will. This story will be Derek and Casey's side of the story, unlike the last one I did. Just keeping up with the other two :) Anyway, review and I'll post again!**


	3. Lie Number One

**Here's chapter three. Review, please. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It's pretty sad.**

**Chapter Three: Lie Number One**

By the time Casey arrived at Cole's house, almost twenty minutes later, Kelly had finally calmed down. She had cried a little bit in the car, but about halfway there, her tears had faded away, and now, she was completely silent.

Casey lifted her out of her carseat, pushing the straps out of her way, and she smiled as best as she could at the two year old.

"Come on, baby." she said gently, lifting her daughter up into her arms. "Maybe Kevin or Maddie will be home. You love playing with them."

Kelly merely nodded as her mother closed the car door, and made her way towards the front steps of Cole's house.

When they got to the door, they rang the doorbell and waited. Casey paused long enough to look around. She squinted at a somewhat-familiar car parked on the side of the road, but she shrugged it off as nothing, and turned back to the door, where Cole had just appeared, looking tired.

His eyes softened at the sight of his best friend, and he gave her a sympathetic look, shaking his head.

"Case, you must be..." he started, but trailed off, unable to finish. Kelly caught sight of Kevin, Cole's son, and smiled slightly, squirming in her mother's arms until she was released. The two of them watched as their children ran off towards the living room, and the moment they were out of sight, Cole had gathered Casey in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I can't imagine what you're going through." he murmered, shaking his head. "We were going to go to the hospital... you know, for moral support or whatever, but we couldn't find a babysitter in time, and we thought the kids would just get in the way. We found someone about twenty minutes ago, just as you called to say you were on the way."

Casey nodded, understanding. Cole being here now was enough for her, and she knew that her best friend would've been there if he could. Besides that, he was right; as much as she loved Maddie and Kevin, having two more toddlers there just would've complicated things further. They'd put enough pressure on Jayden to watch his sister the whole time.

"Is he okay?" Cole finally asked, voicing the one question that he had been too scared to ask earlier.

Casey pulled back, shaking her head sadly to indicate that Jeff wasn't okay; he wasn't fine. Far from it, really. She hated having to say the words out loud, but she knew that she'd have to sometime, anyway, so it might as well be to Cole.

"He's in a coma, Cole." she said, sighing. "He's got broken bones, and he's all cut up... they were working on replacing the blood loss, and they didn't think that the head injury was that bad. I guess when brain activity started slipping, they realized how serious that was. It only took five minutes after the doctor explained the possibility, for it to happen."

Cole's eyes had gone wide during her little tirade, and he was standing there, absolutely amazed by everything his best friend had just told him. She could feel the emotion of it all welling up in the back of her throat, and she wanted to cry. She really did. But she had cried enough; so much, in fact, that she was all cried out. She didn't think that crying another tear would be humanely possible, for another few hours at least.

Cole gave her a extremely sympathetic glance, and reached down, slipping his fingers through hers.

"Come in, Case." he said, leading her inside. She followed, and he closed the door, bringing her into the living room. Kevin, Maddie, and Kelly were all sitting on the other side of the room, playing with a couple of the toddler's toys. Keeping their voices down wasn't exactly necessary, but it was something that Casey chose to do anyway as she sat down on the couch. Cole sat next to her, dropping her hand, and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They had never lost that amazing bond, and she was glad for it, because she needed Cole in her life almost as much as she needed Derek. He was one of the most important people to her very exsistance.

"I don't know how things got like this." she said, shaking her head as she stared at the floor, leaning into Cole's side. "Everything was so perfect this morning. We were all so happy..."

"Anything can happen in a moment, Case." he said, shaking his head. "It wasn't yours or Derek's fault. Jeff is a kid, and we thought he knew better than to run out of the backyard like that. You trusted him, but he's a kid, and kid's make mistakes."

Casey snorted, looking away.

"Yeah, but usually those mistakes aren't fatal." she said, anger flooding through her. "I feel so stupid, Cole. Anything could've prevented this."

"Do they know yet, how long it will be before he wakes up?" Cole asked, clearly not wanting to play the blame game anymore. "Do they have a general time frame?"

Casey shook her head, and she heard a door close somewhere down the hall, and footsteps coming closer. It was probably just Kallie, so she continued to speak.

"They said they don't know, but by the way they're talking, it's nothing good. And I... I saw him, Cole. He's barely even recognizeable. I mean, he's still my Jeff, but... he's... God, it's horrible."

Cole's eyes darted for the briefest moment over to his own children, who were playing happily with a semi-distant Kelly. Casey could tell that he was trying to picture how he would react if one of his own children had been involved in something so horrible, but she knew it was hard to do. She never would've been able to imagine something so horrible until it had actually happened to her.

"You're lucky." she said, sighing as she watched her own daughter ignore the other two. She had been fine a moment before, but she was reverting back to her moodiness, now, just like she had in the cafeteria at the hospital.

"Watch them, Cole. I don't want you to ever go through something like this with Maddie or Kevin."

Cole gave her a frightened look, but before he could answer, there was the sound of shuffling from the doorway, and they both looked up to see Kallie entering, looking exhausted. She spotted Casey and Cole on the couch, and smiled faintly, clearly stressed out.

"Case..." she said, shaking her head. "God, I'm so sorry..."

She crossed the room, taking a seat next to Casey on her other side, and scowling at her husband, who gave her a fearful look.

"Cole, girl's job." she said scornfully, and he gave her an offended look, but pulled away. Kallie shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Honestly. Men."

Casey managed to get out a tiny, choked laugh at Kallie's words, and she smiled up at her friend, happy to have a girl's presence for the first time in a few hours. Well, if you weren't counting Kelly.

Kallie gave her a sympathetic look, though for some reason, she could tell that, for a change, it wasn't for her son's situation.

"Sweetheart, you're makeup is a mess." Kallie said, and Casey frowned. That wasn't exactly something she'd been worried about over the past few hours. Kallie reached down and gripped her wrist, jumping up. She gave Casey's wrist a tug, trying to get her up, and reluctantly, she did so.

"Come on. We've got some serious work to do on your face."

Casey frowned momentarily, not exactly approving of Kallie's word choice, but at the next second, she was being pulled towards the staircase, and all she could do was wave helplessly at Cole. He gave a little half-wave back, looking bewildered.

Moments later, she found herself seated on the edge of Kallie and Cole's bed, with Kallie rummaging through a few belongings on her dresser.

"Honestly, these makeup people need to realize that us girls are emotional creatures. We cry. We shouldn't have to go and fix our makeup because of that... no, this isn't what I'm looking for. What's this? I didn't even buy this. What was I thinking?... aha!"

She emerged with a few containers of makeup, and Casey sighed as Kallie sat down next to her, wiping her face with a wet cloth to get rid of her tears, and apparant running makeup.

"So tell me." Kallie said, sighing. "How's Derek taking all of this? I mean, those kids mean the world to him. I can't imagine how he's reaction."

Casey snorted, looking away. Kallie frowned, and tilted her face back towards her so that she could continue to fix her makeup. Muttering a quick, 'sorry', Casey sighed, and continued.

"I don't know. You know Derek; he doesn't exactly open up about these sorts of things. He just... he stays quiet, and keeps to himself. He hasn't really cried, or anything, but that's just a part of his whole 'guys don't cry' thing, I guess. I can tell this is absolute torture to him. He was scared to even look at Jeff, when we were in the room with him. It's like... he knows he won't be able to handle it, if he really lets this sink in."

Kallie was busy re-applying some coverup to her face, but Casey knew that she was listening to her, so she went on, deciding that it would be best to get all of her emotions out here and now, while she could.

"And Jayden, well, I feel sort of bad for him. We left him in the waiting room with Kelly while we went in the hospital room. Nobody has really paid him any real attention since the accident, so I'm hoping that leaving the two of them at the hospital by themselves will give Derek a chance to talk about things with him. I bet he feels sort of invisible, right about now."

Kallie nodded, understanding.

"I get it." she said, using her brush to spread the power across Casey's cheeks. "Well hopefully, Derek can talk to him, make him feel more... noticed, you know? Do you need someone to watch Kelly tonight?"

Casey immediately shook her head, not wanting to put any sort of pressure on her best friend's, to look after her daughter.

"No, it's okay." she said, as Kallie motioned for her to close her eyes. She did so, and felt eyeshadow being applied to her eyelids. "I don't want to put any pressure on you."

Kallie shook her head as she moved to the other eye, brushing the color evenly along her skin.

"It's no pressure, Case." she assured her, her voice articulate. "We're your best friend's, and that's what we're here for. Besides, she'll probably just want to play with Kevin and Maddie the whole time, anyway. You know we love Kelly, she won't be any trouble. You and Derek are going to have enough on your hands tonight."

Casey thought it over carefully, but her daughter's well being was on the top of her head, and she couldn't shake what had happened earlier, out of her head.

"No, really." she assured Kallie, sighing. "It's fine. Kelly's not really herself today. She won't eat anything, and the second I left Derek earlier, she was screaming for him to come back. Even now, she's being all quiet and moody. I don't want to chance leaving her, and then having her crying for one of us again, and-"

"-and you're scared to let her out of your sight, right?" Kallie finished, her voice knowing and suggestive all at once, and Casey sighed, opening her eyes and giving her an apologetic look.

"It's nothing against you guys, it really isn't-" she started, but Kallie shook her head, indicating that it was okay, and that she wasn't offended.

"Don't worry about it, Casey." she said, sounding genuine. "I understand how scary it must be for you, letting her out of your sight, after what just happened to Jeff. I don't take it personally, and neither would Cole. But when you and Derek need a break, we have no problem with taking her off your hands for a night. You know that."

Casey nodded, smiling as Kallie applied some eyeliner and mascara, being careful not to smudge it.

"I know, Kal." she said, wondering how she had ever found such amazing friends. "You and Cole are absolutely amazing, I hope you know that."

Kallie laughed, shrugging her shoulders innocently as she motioned for Casey to close her mouth, to apply the finishing touch; lipgloss.

"We try to keep that in mind." she said, as she pulled back from Casey, looking over her appearance for a moment, as though making sure she had done a good job. When she was apparantly satisfied with what she'd done, she smiled, laying the lipgloss down, and clapping her hands together.

"Perfect." she said, handing Casey a mirror to look at herself. She was relieved to see that she actually looked normal again. Other than the slight traces of pain and longing in her eyes, there was no way to tell that this was how she felt inside, right now. At least she could pretend everything was okay. She was a girl, she liked looking pretty.

"Thanks, Kal." she said, standing up and placing the mirror back down on the dresser. She gave her friend a hug, closing her eyes tightly. "You're the best, I hope you know that."

Kallie laughed as she pulled back, pushing Casey's hair back over her shoulder.

"Well, duh." she said, as though it were obvious. "I thought you would've caught onto that much, by now."

She was joking, and Casey knew it, but she merely laughed as she brushed her hair back away from her face, admiring her fresh appaearance in the mirror over the dresser.

"Come on, let's go downstairs." Kallie said, clutching her wrist again. She opened the door, and started out, when she bumped right into someone who had been walking by at the time. She stumbled backwards, but Casey caught her, and she watched as Kallie straightened up again, trying to regain some composure. When she realized who it was she had bumped into, she scowled, placing a hand on her hip.

"Ryan!" she cried, clearly annoyed. "What did I tell you about not walking directly in front of doorways? What the hell are you doing here, anyway? I told you we didn't need you to watch the kids, anymore."

Ryan laughed, shrugging.

"I was already in town, by then. When my sister calls me with an emergency, and gets me to drive all the way into London to watch my niece and nephew, I don't think I'm gonna turn around once I'm here. So tell me, what's the big emergen-"

He trailed off when his eyes fell on Casey, who was staring back at him with widened and shocked eyes. It was quite clear that they both recognized the other, not like this was a good thing. The last time that they'd seen each other had been painfully akward, and probably terrifying, for Ryan, considering that Derek had been threatening to pound him, at the time. Casey had managed to skillfully avoid him at Cole and Kallie's wedding, and Cole would warn her whenever Ryan was visiting, at which times she would be sure not to show up.

And to be quite honest, she'd completely forgotten about him, within the past year or so.

But right now, he was in front of her, and all she could think of was how angry Derek would be if he found out Ryan was back in town.

"Casey?" Ryan asked, and Kallie leaned against the doorframe, pressing her hands up against her forehead.

"Cole is _so_ gonna kill me." she murmered, clearly angry with herself for breaking a three and a half year streak. "Why did I even have to have a brother in the first place? I would've been perfectly okay with being an only child. But no, Mom and Dad couldn't have that, could they? They had to make things complicated."

If anyone had been listening to her, they might've laughed. Casey would've agreed with her, considering she'd grown up with three siblings (she didn't count Derek). Ryan probably would've teased her about it. But neither of them were paying any attention to Kallie, for they were still shocked, and a little horrified, at the person standing in front of them.

Casey finally found the courage to speak, and she attempted to shove Derek's possible reaction out of her mind as she cleared her throat, straightening up.

"Um, hi Ryan." she said akwardly, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. "How are you?"

Ryan looked a bit surprised that she had even spoke to him, and that she hadn't punched him and pushed on past him, but nonetheless, he was relieved as he found a bit more confidence in himself, shrugging.

"I'm, uh, okay... I guess... how about you?"

Casey paled. How the hell could she answer that question? She didn't want to lie, and say that everything was okay, but she didn't really want to spill her personal life to someone like him, either. Not as Kallie stood there, anyway.

Luckily, Kallie had sensed the akwardness between her brother, and friend, and she wore her best fake smile, clapping her hands together.

"Alright, who's up for going downstairs?" she asked, and when there was silence, she tried again. "Uh, downstairs, where Cole is? Where... there's food... and... um, TV, and... oh come on, you guys. Would someone please answer me?"

Ryan finally gathered the courage to turn towards his sister, and the look on his face suggested that he hadn't really heard a word that she had said. He gave her an apologetic, yet pleading look, all at once.

"Sorry, Kal." he said, shaking his head. "Listen, do you mind if I talk to Casey for a second?"

Casey caught sight of the look on her friend's face, and she knew that she was completely torn between saying yes, or no. Allowing Ryan to stay and talk to Casey, after everything that had happened between them before, was probably not the best idea in the world. She had a feeling that both Cole and Derek would have alot to say to her, should she agree. But saying no would make her come off like a bitch, and it was clear that she didn't want that, either.

Casey solved her dilemma for her by shaking her head, giving her friend a reassuring glance.

"Don't worry about it, Kallie." she assured her friend, fixing her with a pointed look. "I can handle it."

Kallie still looked unconvinced, and Casey knew that her and Cole were definitely going to be arguing within the next ten minutes, but for whatever reason, she nodded, and sighed, backing away.

"Alright, then." she said, looking worried. "Don't be too long."

They both nodded, and the second Kallie's footsteps disappeared down the stairs, they fell into an akward silence. Casey was leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, and Ryan was standing akwardly in front of her. They both continued to stare at their feet, unsure of what to say to the other. Casey was regretting staying up here without Kallie, and she knew that Ryan was also regretting requesting to talk to her in the first place.

But he managed to gather up some level of courage, and he drew in a deep breath, looking her in the eye. She realized that he was blushing furiously, but tried to concentrate only on his words.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he asked, his voice shaky.

She found that some of the akwardness slipped away as he spoke, and she found it in her to nod, as she gulped nervously.

"Y-Yeah..." she said slowly, unsure of what else to say. "It really has been. I haven't seen you in... I don't know, three and a half years, maybe?"

Ryan nodded, shuffling his feet nervously as he bit down on his lower lip, struggling for something else to say.

"Yeah." he agreed, shrugging. "It's something like that."

Silence fell between them again, and he sighed, clearly frustrated.

"Look, can we talk?" he asked, and it was obvious what he wanted to talk about. "I mean, like, in there, or something?"

He was nodding towards the bedroom behind Casey, and she frowned, panicking slightly.

"Uh, are you sure that's such a good idea?" she asked, her voice wavering on every note. "I don't think I have to remind you of what happened the last time we were in a bedroom together. It ended in my husband threatening to kick your ass."

Ryan cringed slightly at the reminder of his rejection, and embarassment, and he nodded his head, gulping.

'Right." he agreed, suddenly against the idea. "Let's, uh, forget about that, then. We can talk right here. So tell me, are you... are you still with that Derek guy?"

Casey frowned at his wording. 'That Derek guy', didn't really go well with her, but she knew that it was probably partial bitterness, and it was probably just some male rival thing. She decided to drop it as she nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, I'm still with Derek." she said, feeling rather confident in herself. "I told you back then that we were getting back together. It was just a break, nothing big. I love him, you know that."

Ryan scowled slightly, but nodded, as though he didn't want to look like as big of an idiot as he actually felt like.

"That's cool." he offered, shrugging as though it were no big deal. "No need to get defensive, or anything. I was only asking. I got over that, a long time ago. I just don't want this to be akward. I just talked to Cole, and I might be staying here for a week or two, while I'm in."

Casey frowned; something about that statement didn't seem right to her. Didn't Ryan have a job, or some other sort of commitment to go home to? He seemed to interpret the look on her face as one of confusion, and he rushed to explain himself.

"I run my own publishing company, remember?" he said, trying to jog her memory. "I'm my own boss. As long as my employee's are able to reach me on my cell, I'm good for awhile. I can do my work over the computer, when I have access to my email."

Casey felt a little bit of hope die away in her. She didn't want Ryan to stay in town, for any length of time. She'd been avoiding him for three and a half years, and she had succeeded. Derek would go insane if he found out that Ryan was back in town. He'd never forgiven the guy, though he told Casey that he trusted her with everything he had. Apparantly, it was Ryan that he didn't trust.

"I'm sorry for everything I caused before." Ryan said suddenly, and Casey looked up, surprised. "I know you and your husband were having problems, and I could've made them alot worse than they were. I never should've made a move on you. You're a married woman."

Casey could tell that he didn't regret it, not one bit, and that her being married didn't affect him in the slightest. But it was the thought that counted, and it wasn't like he was going to try something on her again. She could forgive him for his one moment of weakness, couldn't she?

She gave a tiny jerk of the head, offering a very obvious, forced, smile.

"It's okay." she assured him, half truthful. "I've gotten over it. Me and Derek are back together now, and that's all that really matters to me. I'm not going to hold a grudge against you, or anything. I'm sure we can be civil with each other, right?"

Ryan was staring at her with surprise written across his face, and it was quite obvious that he hadn't been expecting her to give in. Nonetheless, he nodded, signalling that he could.

"Civil, right. I'd like that." he told her, before laughing bitterly. "Not sure I can say the same for that husband of yours, though."

Casey felt a chill go through her at the mention of Derek finding out about Ryan, and she knew that he was right; Derek would never act civil with Ryan. He flat out hated the guy. Casey was pretty sure he had almost forgotten that Ryan even exsisted.

"Well, Derek probably won't even find out you're here." she said, shrugging. "I doubt we'll be around here much, what with everything that just happened."

Ryan's face fell, but it was not because Casey was not going to be around. It seemed to have more to do with what she had just said. A look of confusion and concern washed over his face, and he frowned, giving her a worried look.

"What do you mean, 'everything that just happened'?" he asked, confused. "Is everything okay?"

When Casey chose not to answer, for both of their sakes, realization swept over him, and the confusion left his face instantly.

"This 'emergency' that I was called in here for... to look after the kids... did it have something to do with you?"

Casey shuffled uncomfortably against the doorway, biting down on her lower lip thoughtfully. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to share all of this with Ryan. But she didn't want to come off as a total bitch, and not tell him anything, so she sighed, nodding her head.

"My son is in the hospital." she admitted, her heart squeezing painfully at the sound of her own words. "He got hit by a car this afternoon, and he's only six years old. He's, um... he's in a coma. My husband is at the hospital with our older son, Jay, right now. I think I told you about him, right?"

The confusion was back, although it was mixed with sympathy this time, and Ryan nodded, speaking up.

"Wasn't he the one you lost in a custody battle?" he asked, clearly not understanding why Jayden was suddenly back.

Casey did not want to go into detail on everything that had happened, so she decided to merely give him the short-handed version of things.

"We got him back." she said simply, shrugging. "It's a long story. Point is, he's with us again, and they're both at the hospital now. They should be here to pick me up pretty soon, and then I'm going to have to go home and... I don't know, pretend everything's normal... for the sake of my daughter."

Ryan seemed surprised at this, for he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, struggling for words.

"You've... you've got a daughter?" he asked, and it was clear to him that Cole and Kallie had shared nothing with Ryan, regarding her, since he'd left last. He breathed out, running a hand through his hair.

"Wow." he said, shaking his head. "I'm really behind, aren't I? Wait a second, was that your little girl, downstairs? Kelly, I think my sister called her?"

Casey nodded, smiling slightly at the mention of her daughter. Kelly was her only daughter, and she loved her very much. Even mere mention of her name brought a smile to Casey's lips.

"Yeah, that's my daughter... well, mine and Derek's." she said, feeling the need to throw Derek in there somehwere, just as another reminder that she was taken, she had someone. She was off-limits. The mention of Derek seemed to throw Ryan back to reality, and he nodded, backing off slightly.

"She's adorable." he said, sighing. "Anyway, I guess I just wanted to apologize for everything that happened when we saw each other last. I just wanted to know you forgive me. And now that this is over with, I'm going to go into the guest room and lie down for awhile, I guess. I'm pretty tired. Cole will let Kallie know I'm staying, I guess. She'll protest, but Cole never minds. My sister's stubborn, anyway."

Casey laughed slightly, nodding in agreement. She froze as she heard the door open up downstairs, and then shut again. The sound of male voices could be heard somewhere below her, and she listened intently as one of them floated up the stairs, after muffled conversation.

"Case?" she heard Derek call out. "Sorry I didn't call; my phone went dead."

She saw jealousy flicker across Ryan's face as she responded to him.

"It's okay. I'll be down in a minute." she called back, praying that he wouldn't decide to come upstairs. She had no clue what he'd do if he saw Ryan, with Casey, nonetheless.

Luckily, he chose not to, and he merely called back up to her, sounding amused.

"Hurry up, baby. I'm hungry, and poor Jayden is too. You can't starve your own son, that'd be cruel."

Casey coughed akwardly, biting down on her lip gently. That had definitely been akward, she couldn't lie about that.

"Um, I'd better go." she said, taking a step forward. "See you around."

She pushed her way past the man, glad for an escape, but she was stopped when she heard the voice speak up again behind her.

"Casey?" Ryan questioned, his voice slightly nervous over something. "Wait a second."

Casey turned around, her eyes falling once more on Ryan, who looked concerned, and worried. She smiled slightly, figuring that maybe he feeled intimidated by her, or something.

"Yeah, Ryan?" she asked, brushing her hair away from her face. "What is it?"

He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, looking down as he took a few steps forward, his hands in his pockets. His eyes wandered for a second towards the staircase, where he knew Derek would be waiting at the bottom, for Casey.

"Would you mind not telling your husband I'm back?" he asked, his voice pleading. "Please? I mean, I really don't want him knowing. He sounded like he wanted to rip my head off, the last time he caught me with you. And I really like my head where it is."

Casey felt her stomach clench slightly. How could Ryan ask her to lie to Derek, like that? She hated not being honest with him.

"I don't know, Ryan." she admitted, shaking her head nervously. "I don't like keeping things from him. He's always honest with me. I hate lying, especially to him."

Ryan's eyes clouded over with slight fear, and he cringed, taking another step towards her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly at his touch. She was reminded immediately of how relaxing Derek's touch was, for no other man's touch ever felt the same to her.

"Please, Casey?" he begged, gripping her shoulder lightly. "It's not technically lying, if he doesn't ask. Just... don't tell him. Besides, you don't want to get him all worked up for no reason, do you? With everything that's going on, I'm sure that he's got enough on his mind. You shouldn't add more to the pile. He's got nothing to be worried about, anyway."

Casey gave it some serious thought. Technically, Ryan was right. If Derek didn't directly ask, she wouldn't be lying by not telling him. She'd just be keeping things from him. She supposed that this was just as bad, but Ryan was right about the rest of it, too. Derek had enough to worry about; he didn't need this added into the mix.

Reluctantly, she sighed, nodding her head.

"Okay." she said, knowing somewhere deep down that she would regret this. "I won't tell him. But if he finds out somehow, I'm not going to lie to him about it. I refuse to do that."

Ryan nodded, understanding, and he moved his hand away from her shoulder, pushing it back into his pocket again. He looked somewhat reassured, or at least more relaxed, and he gave her a relieved smile.

"Thanks, Case." he said, taking a step backwards to put some distance between them. "It was nice talking to you."

Casey nodded, though she didn't entirely agree with his statement. 'Nice' wasn't really the word she would use to describe it. Stressful, akward, nerve-wracking, maybe, but definitely not nice. She decided against mentioning it as he extended his hand, and she shook it akwardly.

"Nice, yeah." she lied, forcing back the million other words that were coming to mind. "See you around. Uh, maybe."

With that, she turned and went down the stairs. She walked into the living room, where everyone was sitting around, talking in hushed tones. When she walked in, they all looked up, and Derek, who was sitting alone in the armchair, gave a jerk of the head, motioning for her to come over.

"There's my girl." he said softly, and she crossed the room, sliding onto the arm of his chair. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her down into his lap. Both of his arms encircled her waist as he turned her sideways, to look her in the eye.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her, studying her as though searching for something. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, even if she was far from okay, and he looked slightly more relaxed.

"What took you so long up there?" he asked casually, frowning at her. She tensed slightly, but prayed that he didn't feel a thing. He seemed to notice, for his grip on her tightened slightly. For whatever reason, he chose to ignore it as she answered as best as she could.

"It was nothing. I was just... busy." she got out, and her eyes fell for the briefest moment on Cole, who was giving her a worried look. His blonde hair was falling around his eyes carelessly as their eyes locked. She knew that he hated that she was lying. Well, not lying... just avoiding the truth, with no intent on clearing things up.

"Glad to hear it." he said, and before he could question her any further, Casey's eyes fell on her oldest son, who was sitting on the couch, his fist pressed up against the side of his head, propping it up. He was staring off into space, and Casey tilted her head, giving him a searching look.

"Jay, everything okay?" she asked him, concerned, and he snapped out of his trance, looking up at her. "You look... I dunno, distracted?"

His mouth was set in a firm line, and he looked entirely serious, as though he was never going to crack a smile again.

"I'm okay... sort of..." he said, sounding entirely stressed. "Can we just... go home? It's nothing against you guys, honestly-" he said, with a nod towards Cole and Kallie, who gave an understanding nod of the head, to show they weren't offended. "-i just... I need to go home and go to bed, or something. I want this day to be over with..."

Casey immediately felt terrible; she had left her poor son to fend for himself the whole day. They'd basically ignored his emotions, because they'd been so worried about Jeff, and now, he felt neglected.

"Oh... Jay, I'm sorry." she said, wincing. "I feel like we've been ignoring you all day. And we have, but we aren't meaning to, okay? I mean, it's this thing with Jeff, and Kelly won't eat anything, and-"

Jayden held up a hand, cutting her off.

"Don't worry about it." he said, shaking his head. "I understand, alright?"

Casey relaxed a little, smiling at the teenager.

"When did you get all mature?" she asked proudly as Derek rested his head against her side. "Soon, you're gonna be more mature than your father. Well, that's not too hard, I guess."

Derek scowled, pulling away from her slightly.

"Not nice, Casey." he said, shaking his head at her. "I'm mature. Physically, anyway. But of course, you'd know that, wouldn't you?"

He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes, looking away in disgust. She knew that he was just trying to grasp onto something familiar, to make him feel normal, for the first time all day. But she also knew that they had to be getting home. A thump upstairs, that could only be Ryan, reminded her of that. The last thing she needed was for Ryan to come downstairs, and for Derek to realize what had really taken her so long.

"We'd better be going." she said, untangling herself from Derek, and standing up. "Kelly, baby, come over here."

Kelly, who had been sitting a few feet away from Maddie and Kevin, silently observing their actions, looked up at her mother, and for the first time in a very long time, she obeyed immediately. She stood up, wobbling across the room to her parents. Derek grinned, lifting her up.

"How's Daddy's girl?" he asked, kissing her forehead lightly. There was a hint of concern in his eyes as he stood up, securing her in his arms. "How about we stop by McDonald's on the way home and buy you a Happy Meal?"

The little girl looked up at him, and everyone in the room was giving her a concerned look. Derek's eyes met with Casey's, and she smiled faintly at his attempt to get their daughter to eat something. Kelly placed her finger on her bottom lip, and looked thoughtful, as though this was a huge decision. Finally, she motioned for her father to lean in, and Derek did so, allowing her to whisper something into his ear. Derek's eyes softened slightly, and when he looked back up, he swallowed hard, looking slightly more pained.

"She says she wants a Happy Meal, but only if... only if she can bring Jeff the toy, when we go to the hospital tomorrow."

The reminder of their situation did no good, but Casey managed to nod her head, slightly touched at her daughter's kind act towards her brother.

"Of course we can, Kel." she said, giving a forced smile. "I'm sure... I'm sure Jeff would love that."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Nobody seemed to want to speak up and tell the toddler that a toy wouldn't benefit her brother, since her brother was in a comatose state, right about now. Nobody had the heart to do that.

But within another moment, she'd leaned towards Derek again, and whispered something else. When he pulled back, they all waited anxiously, hoping that her words wouldn't trigger just another thing they'd have to keep from her.

But Derek smiled slightly as he pulled back, allowing them all a chance to relax, knowing this would be something a bit lighter to take.

"And, um, she says it has to be chicken nuggets." he said, shrugging as the little girl smiled faintly. Casey laughed, ruffling Kelly's hair lightly.

"Whatever you want, as long as you're eating something." she said, muttering the last part so that Kelly couldn't hear it. "Come on, Derek. You take Kelly, and I'll go out and start the car."

Derek nodded, adjusting his daughter in his arms, and giving a brief nod towards their friends, thanking them quickly.

"We'll see you soon." he assured them, starting towards the door.

Jayden remained standing for a moment, a confused frown on his face as he stared after his family. After a moment, he scowled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"She never gives me the toy." he muttered, before sauntering off gloomily after the three of them. Cole and Kallie laughed as they heard the front door slam shut, and the starting of an engine outside. They knew that this was only the beginning of what was gong to be a very long and painful battle.

* * *

**Yeah, so Ryan is back. For those of you that don't remember him, re-read Casey and Derek's seperation during Surviving the Dysfunction. I'm actually still not sure how I feel about this story... so if you like where it's going so far, please let me know, because I'm very unconfident about it right now, lol. I need some reassurance. **


	4. Liar, Liar

**Nothing much to say except enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Four: Liar, Liar**

Casey could barely tell if she was even awake or not. The sun was hitting her face gently, and she could feel it's beams heating her up slowly, yet soothingly. She felt like she was semi-awake, but yet she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She felt like she was in some sort of a semi-concious state, at this point. She was warm, with all of the blankets wrapped around her, and Derek pressed up against her back, pulling her hair back off of her face like that...

"Derek..." she murmered into her pillow, her voice sleepy and annoyed. "Stop that, that tickles."

He laughed gently, kissing her temple with affection.

"Sorry, baby." he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder from behind. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Your hair was just all in your face, and it looked uncomfortable. You can go back to sleep if you want to."

"No, it's okay. I'm awake now anyway." she said, rolling over onto her back. She looked up to see him smiling down at her, his love for her clear in his gaze. He leaned down, kissing her forehead. Derek usually tried not to act too sappy, but in the mornings, or when it was just the two of them, he would just be himself, and let her see his romantic side. In public, he usually just came off as cocky and arrogant, unless he was with his kids, since he was usually a bit softer for them, but Casey didn't mind. She knew who he really was, and that was okay with her.

"You didn't sleep very well, did you?" he asked, looking slightly concerned. She frowned, and he went on. "You woke up at two o'clock, having a nightmare. It took me forever to get you back to sleep. Don't you remember that?"

She thought hard, searching for some recollection of the incident, but she had nothing. She couldn't even remember having a nightmare, let alone waking up, and having Derek coax her back to sleep.

"I don't remember that." she said, shaking her head. "I must have been half asleep, or something. What was I dreaming about?"

He was silent for a moment, staring down at her as though he didn't really want to tell her. But he liked being honest with her, like she did with him, so he just sucked it up, and told her.

"You were... well, it was about Jeff." he offered, shrugging. "You didn't tell me much else."

She was about to comment, when she noticed the laptop, sitting on the foot of the bed. It was shut, but the power light was green, meaning that it was turned on.

"What were you doing with your laptop out?" she asked, frowning slightly. "Work?"

He glanced down at the item in question, and a look of realization dawned over his features as he leaned down, grabbing the laptop from the foot of the bed. He brought it up, and sat up straight with his back against the headboard. She shifted up a little bit, drawing the blankets tight around her as she rested her head against his shoulder. His arm wrapped instinctively around her shoulders, and he used his free hand to rest the laptop on his legs. Opening it up, she saw a webpage that he had obviously been reading earlier, while she slept.

"I was looking up some success stories on this website I found." he said, shrugging. "There's alot of parents who wrote about how their kid's woke up from comas, and recovered completely. It's just... I dunno, reassuring, I guess, to know that people have gone what we're going through, and have come out of it okay."

Casey shifted, her eyes scanning over the links to the different stories on the website, of different children who had recovered from comas. She hoped that, one day, it'd be her who was able to say that her son had recovered from one.

"These kids... in the stories..." she said, biting her lip slowly. "How long were they in comas for?"

Derek shrugged, exiting the page, and it closed off to a picture that had been taken of him and Casey back in highschool. It had been at their graduation, and he'd recently scanned it, and used it as a desktop picture.

"The stories were all different." he told her, sighing. "Some parents said that their child was in a coma for like... a week, and other's said they didn't come out of it for a few months. And, uh, there were a few stories where the kids hadn't woken up at all, but I didn't go into those ones. I just looked at the successful ones."

Casey frowned, snuggling in closer to her husband, but whether it was for comfort, or warmth, she didn't know. She didn't really care, either.

"What if Jeff's one of those ones who doesn't wake up?" she asked, worried. "I mean, what if he doesn't come out of this thing, Derek? He's our son. He's not something I can just forget about, and move on. If we lose him, I don't think I'll ever get over it."

"I know, Case. I know." he said, gently smoothing her hair back off of her face. "We're going to have to go and talk to the doctors today. They've got good visiting hours, so we can see him alot."

Casey nodded, not feeling entirely reassured. She was scared of what the doctors might tell them, if they asked about the expected length of their son's coma. She was worried that they may tell her he might never wake up at all. The thought of Jeff lying there, day after day, week after week, month after month... it terrified her. Jeff belonged at home, fighting with Kelly, pulling pranks with Jayden, running around and making a mess... just like he always did. He didn't belong in some hospital bed, hooked up to life support. Those two things, Jeff, and life support... they just didn't mix.

"I miss him already, Derek." she admitted, sighing sadly. "He shouldn't be in that hospital right now. He should be home, with us."

Derek nodded in agreement.

"I know." he said, sighing. "Well we're going to try and get more information today, okay? Hopefully, they'll have something good to tell us. I don't think I can handle anymore bad news, when it comes to Jeff. In the meantime, how about we drop Kelly off at Lizzie's... and, well... Jayden can stay there if he wants, or he can come with us. He's hold enough to face this."

Casey frowned slightly, running her hand along his chest slowly, and subconciously.

"Kelly might want to go visit Jeff." she said, thinking hard. "I mean, she hasn't gone in yet, and-"

"Not today, Casey." he argued, shaking his head. "Absolutely not. I don't want her seeing him until he's... uh, a little more healed. Me and you had a hard enough time looking past the cuts and bruises... Kelly's two years old. She can't handle that, not yet."

Casey thought about it for a moment, and realized that he was right. Her and Derek had been upset enough by the sight of their son in such rough shape; it was no sight for an uncorrupted toddler to see, especially when it was her brother.

"Right." she said, sighing. "We'll wait until he's a bit more... presentable. The poor girl would be traumatized."

Derek nodded, kissing her forehead gently.

"What was wrong with Cole and Kallie yesterday?" he asked, frowning. "When I asked for you, they got all jumpy and said you'd be down in a minute. That was when I called out to you. What were you doing? Anything I should know about?"

She froze, praying that he didn't feel her tense up within his hold. Luckily, he never, and he merely stared at her, waiting for a response.

"They're just a little upset over Jeff, too." she lied, shrugging her shoulders. "No big deal. I told you, I was just busy."

He didn't look entirely convinced, but when he opened his mouth to protest, there was a knock on their bedroom door, and she called out for their visitor to come in. Unsurprisingly, it was Jayden, in his pajamas, and still looking like he was half-asleep. Then again, he probably was.

"Kelly's awake." he said sleepily, scratching the back of his neck. "She's like, begging to be let out of her bed, and I don't trust myself to stay awake and watch her. I figured I'd get one of you."

Casey nodded at him, smiling.

"Thanks, Jay." she said, and as he turned to leave, she called out again. "Hang on a second."

He turned slowly, stumbling with fatigue, but catching himself by grabbing onto the doorknob of their bedroom door. He gave Casey a pointed look, and she straightened up a little bit.

"Are you going to come to the hospital with us today?" she asked, unsure of whether or not he'd come along. "You don't have to if you don't want to. We're dropping Kelly off at Lizzie and Edwin's place, so you can go there, or stay at home. It doesn't make a difference to us."

Jayden didn't even have to think about it. He shrugged his shoulders, and took a step backwards.

"I'll go to the hospital to see Jeff." he said, no reluctance in his voice whatsoever. "I'm going back to sleep for awhile, though. Wake me up in time to get ready."

Casey nodded, and Jayden made his way towards his bedroom again, to catch a few more hours sleep. He was a typical teenager, after all, and his summer break always consisted of sleeping in late.

When the sound of his door closing could be heard, Casey yawned, and stretched out a little, trying to wake her muscles up for the day. She tried to get up, but Derek tightened his grip on her waist, and shifted the laptop onto their endtable, so that it wouldn't fall.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice amused as he pulled her down against his chest, hugging her tightly as though she were some sort of teddy bear.

"Derek!" she groaned, annoyed. She squirmed in his hold, frustrated. "Come on, let me go."

"Nuh-uh." he murmered, burying his face against her neck happily. "You're not going anywhere, not yet. Five more minutes of Derek-time."

She laughed, relaxing slightly against him, and looking up.

"Derek-time?" she questioned, amused. "There's a name for it now, is there?"

"Mhm." he mumbled, kissing her neck. "Derek-time, sexy-time, whatever you want to call it, as long as it somehow involves me."

She rolled her eyes, looking away with disgust.

"You're disgustingly arrogant, you know that, right?"

He gave it some thought, but shrugged his shoulders, pulling back to look her in the eye.

"I'm also sexy, so really, I'm not worried about it."

Casey could only roll her eyes at his obvious love for himself. Some things would never change, no matter how much time passed.

- - - -

"So what you're telling us, is that you can't gaurantee that he'll even wake up at all?" Derek asked, clutching onto Casey's shoulder, as the doctor's words began to sink in.

"You're saying that our son may never make it out of this thing, aren't you?"

The doctor shifted his clipboard to his other arm, attempting to look hopeful. He failed dismally.

"It's too early to say anything, for sure." he said, shaking his head. "Jeff is so small, and right now, he's displaying no brain activity. He's in an Intracranial coma, and those can sometimes be very difficult to wake up from, especially when it's a result of a head injury."

Casey was shaking, and Derek could feel it. He glanced down at her briefly, and she looked away, wincing. He pulled her closer, trying to comfort her, but was surprised when she took a step away from him, folding her arms across her chest. He frowned slightly, wondering why she was distancing herself from him, but he chose to ignore it as the doctor went on.

"Even if he does wake up, there could be severe brain damage. It's possible that he could forget everything, and everyone around him. I can't make any promises. We won't know that until he wakes up."

Casey bit her lip, trying not to imagine what it would be like for her son to wake up, and not know who she was. She hated the thought of being some random stranger to her son, someone who was just there... meaning nothing whatsoever. But she would rather have to teach him everything again, than have him never wake up.

"Okay..." she said slowly, thinking hard. "So... what can you do, to try and wake him up?"

The doctor that was helping them scratched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"There's not much we can do, really. He's in our Intensive Care Unit right now, and we've got him hooked up to life support, since he wasn't doing anything on his own. We're hoping that some of his system's may start to work on his own again, but right now, life support is the only option."

"And how long will you keep him on it?" she asked, and it was obvious that she was terrified of the answer. The doctor must have sensed this, for his voice was somewhat reassuring when he answered her.

"We're required to keep a minor on life support until both gaurdian's direct us to do otherwise. Typically, there will be a point in time when we'll suggesst discontinuing life support, if we really think there's no chance of revival, but I definitely wouldn't recommend that option right now. It's only been a day, anything could happen."

Casey nodded slowly, and it was quite clear that she was finished talking about this, for now.

"Is that everything?" she asked, as Derek's arm found it's way around her waist again. This time, she didn't pull away. The doctor nodded his head, indicating that he was finished.

"Unless you have anymore questions, then yes, that's everything for now." he said, and Casey nodded, smiling slightly.

"Thank you." she said to him, and the doctor nodded at them, before walking off in the other direction. She looked up at Derek, who was giving her a concerned look. It was obvious that he knew how much pain this was causing her.

"Casey," he started, but she cut him off by shaking her head.

"I'm okay." she said, sniffing. "But if it's okay with you, I'm going to go and pick up Cole. I was talking to him a little while ago, and he mentioned that he wanted to see Jeff."

Derek frowned, not really wanting her to leave in this state. He was half afraid that she'd burst into tears while she was driving, and have some sort of accident. There was enough drama going on in their family right about now.

"Did you call him?" he asked, looking for a way out. "Maybe he's got plans."

"He was home when I called twenty minute's ago." she said, shrugging. "I never told him I was coming by, but I'm sure he'll still be there."

Derek nodded, sighing as he realized there was no talking her out of going over to Cole's.

"Well, do you need me to drive you?" he asked, hope lingering in his voice as Jayden stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching as his parents discussed the matter. Casey was shaking her head, looking a little annoyed.

"I can drive myself, okay?" she asked, watching as Derek flinched. She softened, leaning up to kiss him quickly. She used her hand against the back of his head to pull him down to her, and when she pulled away, she was disappointed to see that he still looked confused, and worried.

"I'm okay, honestly." she said, smiling. She ruffled his hair, forcing out a laugh. "Don't worry about me."

He smiled back, though it was faint, and shrugged his shoulder's, as though embarassed.

"Don't you know me at all?" he questioned, shaking his head. "I'm always worrying about you."

Jayden had wandered off to look out the window of the public waiting room, and she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, hugging him.

"Well don't." she instructed him, for she hated being pitied or fussed over. "I'm perfectly okay. Anyway, I'm going to go to Cole's. I might stop by the house and grab something to eat before I come back."

"Are you sure?" Derek asked, as she rummaged through her bag for her car keys. "Me and Jay are probably going to get something down in the cafeteria. I can pick you up something, or we can wait for you."

She shook her head, grasping the keys in one hand as she did up her jacket with the other.

"Nope, there's some salad at home." she said, shrugging. "That's good enough for me. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, baby." Derek said, leaning down to kiss her cheek gently. "Love you."

"Yeah, love you too." she said, already darting off towards the door.

Derek sighed, watching as the door closed behind her. He had married one stubborn woman, that was for sure.

- - - -

Casey walked in through the front door of Cole's house, dropping her purse next to the door. She kicked her shoes off, and wandered into the living room, looking around.

"Cole?" she called out, confused. "Kal?"

Neither of her friends answered her; in fact, the house seemed dead. She couldn't even hear Maddie or Kevin, anywhere. She groaned, tilting her head back. She must have just missed them, for she knew that Cole had been home about a half an hour ago. She had been talking to him on the phone. She guessed that she should've mentioned she might have been dropping over, and he could've waited, or else told her not to bother. Just like Derek had said. Maybe she should listen to him, every once in awhile.

"Ugh, I always forget to mention these things." she groaned, starting towards the door again. A voice behind her stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You just missed them."

Casey twirled around, shocked by the voice that she didn't entirely recognize. She felt a chill go through her when she saw Ryan. This was the last thing she needed, today, to be alone with Ryan.

"Sorry for barging in." she said quickly, shaking her head. "They usually don't mind. Where'd they go?"

Ryan took a step forwards, his hands in his pockets as he answered.

"They took the kids to a movie, I think." he said absent-mindedly, shrugging. "They asked me if I wanted to go along, but I'm not really into kid's movies."

Casey found herself taking a step backwards to put some distance between the two of them. She nodded.

"Alright then." she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just... tell him I dropped by. I've got to go home and grab something to eat before I go back to the hospital. The rest of them are eating in the cafeteria."

She turned to leave, but at the next second, she felt herself being pulled back, as Ryan grabbed ahold of her sleeve. She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes, and he blushed, realizing how quickly he'd reacted.

"Hang on." he said, releasing her. "Is Derek in the car?"

Casey straightened up, fixing her shirt where he had ruffled it, and she shook her head slowly, unsure of where this was going.

"No." she said, her voice worried. "I came here alone. I was just going to ask Cole if he wanted to drop by the hospital with me for awhile. He mentioned to me last night that he wanted to come see Jeff."

Ryan nodded, and Casey hated to think that he looked slightly hopeful.

"He's not going to be back for a few hours." he informed her. "But, um, I was thinking..."

_'Here we go_.' thought Casey, worried. She was nervous about what exactly Ryan was thinking of doing.

"Since Cole's gone out, and you've gotta get something to eat, why don't I take you out for something?" he asked, and Casey's stomach dropped. "I mean, I'm hungry, and Cole knows I can't cook to save a life. And instead of you having to go home and cook yourself something, like you said..."

Casey was shaking her head, for she rather thought that this was an absolutely terrible idea. Going out to lunch with Ryan, someone who clearly had some silly little crush on her? Someone who Derek _knew _had a crush on her? No, that wouldn't work out at all.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." she said, sighing. "I mean, if Derek found out..."

"Derek won't find out." Ryan assured her, waving a hand dismissively. "Just tell him you ate at home."

Casey frowned, realizing what he meant.

"So what?" she questioned, her voice suggestive. "You want me to lie to him again? I told you, I'm not okay with that."

"Fine, don't lie to him. Just don't bring it up. Come on, what's the risk?"

Casey folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing at him slightly.

"I think we both know what the risk is." she said, shaking her head. "Don't tell me you don't remember what happened the last time we hung out."

Ryan blushed, but struggled to stay composed.

"That's not going to happen this time." he assured her, shaking his head. "You know that."

"Do I?" Casey challenged, raising an eyebrow at him. "Because I don't really know if I trust you."

Hurt flickered through his eyes, and she could tell that her words had actually affected him, in some weird way. She frowned, but kept her gaze strong as she waited for him to respond to her statement. He shifted nervously, shaking his head at her.

"That's not fair, Casey." he said, sounding slightly angry. "I'm not a bad guy. I had a moment of weakness, and you've gotta forgive me for that sometime. All I want is to be your friend... we could've been good friends, if that hadn't happened. I regret that everything fell apart like that. I mean, we had only known each other for like, two days... and we were getting along great. We could've been such great friends, Case."

Casey shifted uncomfortably, leaning back against the doorway, her gaze fixed on the floor. This was akward to dicuss, for she knew that Ryan didn't regret kissing her; not one bit. But a larger, more rational, part of her knew that he was right, and that she had to move on, and forgive him. He was trying to be nice, and she kept shooting him down. Besides, what harm could one little lunch outing do? It wasn't like it was a date, or anything. They were just friends. She went out to lunch with Cole all the time, and Derek didn't care. She knew that he would care about Ryan, but maybe he wouldn't even ask her where she'd been.

So she sighed, nodding her head half-reluctantly.

"Okay..." she said slowly, feeling second thoughts go racing through her the moment the words had left her lips. "I'll go. But we're... we're just friends. This isn't a date or anything, so don't get that in your head. I'm married to Derek. You got your signals crossed the last time, and made a mistake. So you need to understand that, alright?"

Ryan nodded, a tiny smile making it's way onto his lips.

"Alright." he agreed, sounding ecstatic. "Just let me grab my jacket, and I'll be out in a second, alright? You go wait in the car."

Casey nodded, and grabbed a hold of her car keys, picking her bag up off the floor. She slipped her shoes on, and made her way back out to her car. The whole time she was sitting there, waiting for Ryan, second thoughts kept rolling through her mind. This was wrong. She was married to Derek, and Derek absolutely hated Ryan, with good reason. She kept trying to remind herself that Ryan was just her friend, and that Derek had no reason whatsoever to be jealous, but nothing worked. She knew that he'd be mad at her, if he knew about this.

Nonetheless, when Ryan slipped into the passenger's seat of her car, five minutes later, and asked if she was ready, she forced out a smile, and nodded.

"Yeah." she lied, putting the car in drive. "I'm ready."

* * *

**Ugh, I'm still not positive about continuing this, even though I hate scrapping stories, lol. If you're interested, let me know, because if people are interested, I'll keep going, but... yeah... lol. I'm just struggling a bit with it. :) Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, anyway.**


	5. Text Messaging

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Five: Text Messaging**

She wasn't exactly sure what she had expected her little outing with Ryan to be like, but she definitely hadn't expected it to be fun. But life was full of surprises, and this was one of those things. Ryan was actually a pretty cool guy, once she got to talking to him, and she was immediately reminded of why she'd taken a liking to him before. When she wasn't concentrating on the little mistake he'd made when they'd last hung out, she could fall into an easy and relaxing pattern with him.

As of right now, he was discussing some of the author's that he had worked with, and Casey was actually surprised to hear that a few of them were bigger names, author's that she had actually read before.

"Is it hard, running a big company like that?" she asked, taking a bite of her chicken. "I mean, I figure I drive my own publisher crazy. I can't imagine having to deal with a whole bunch of authors."

Ryan laughed, taking a sip of his drink, and leaning back slightly.

"Well, I can see how you'd drive anyone crazy." he joked, and she scowled, though they both knew she was kidding.

"I'm joking." he assured her, shaking his head. "And to answer your question; no, it's not really hard, once you learn how to deal with everyone at once. Actually, I've always admired the patience it must take to be an author. I mean, getting all your words down right, forming an idea into thousands of words... wow. I'd never be able to sit there, and just write."

Casey laughed.

"You'd get along perfectly with Derek." she said, not really thinking about what she was saying. "He won't even come down to my office when I'm writing, because he says he doesn't want to let anything break my concentration. He says I get moody if he interrupts me, but I never really notice."

She realized that Ryan had tensed slightly upon mention of Derek, and she sighed. This was the fifth time she'd brought Derek up since they'd got here. How was she supposed to talk about her life, which Derek was a huge part of, without bringing him up at all? Mentioning her kids sort of brought everything back to Derek, and so did anything regarding her home life.

She leaned back, running a hand through her hair.

"Sorry for bringing him up again." she said, though she wasn't really sorry at all. "I mean, it's hard to talk about my life, when-"

"No, no." Ryan assured her, shaking his head. "It's cool. He's your husband, you're allowed to talk about him. I'm just... well, me and him never got off to a great start, so..."

"Yeah..." Casey said, shaking her head. "So what about you? Did you ever find anyone meaningful? I remember that you were feeling sort of down, back then, since your siblings had all found someone, and you hadn't."

He cringed, but managed to laugh. There was bitterness in his laugh, but Casey tried to ignore it as he responded.

"Way to put salt in the wound there, Case." he said, and she rushed to apologize, but he cut her off by holding up his hand. "I'm joking, but to answer your question... no. I never really found anyone. I mean, I dated a few girls, on and off, and I had a blind date that ended in... actually, never mind, scrap that one. For all intentional purposes, no, there's no one."

Casey sighed, picking up her glass, and using her straw to take a small sip of it.

"You'll know when you've found the right one." she said, shrugging. "I mean, when I fell for Derek... I knew. We were broken up for a few years, a long time ago, and it was almost like... every guy I was with, it didn't feel right."

Ryan was giving her a strange sort of look, almost as though he was studying every inch of her, and she frowned, feeling sort of awkward.

"What's that look for?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm lying to you?"

His eyes widened slightly, and he shook himself out of his stupor, shaking his head.

"No, no." he assured her, sighing. "It's nothing like that. I'm just thinking... I hope that day comes for me soon."

She smiled, relaxing again as she cleared the last bit of her food away from her plate. She pushed it towards the middle of the table, next to Ryan's empty one.

"That was good." she said, sighing faintly. "It's been awhile since I ate out, actually. It was a nice break. It's sort of hard to eat out when you've got three kids, one of them being a toddler, and then there's Derek, who won't even look at a menu if there's not a seventy five percent meat content, or something. Usually, I just wind up cooking something."

Ryan laughed, and Casey jumped a little when her cellphone vibrated in her right jean's pocket. She pulled it out, glancing down at the screen to see that it was Derek's cellphone number. It was like a huge wave of reality hit her in the face. Derek, her _husband_, was calling her, while she was out to lunch with someone he despised, someone who had made a move on her before. She immediately felt terrible, and she bit her lip, looking up at Ryan. She could tell that he knew, merely by the look on her face, that it was Derek.

"Go ahead." he said, sighing. "I'll be quiet."

She shot him a grateful smile, and flipped the phone open, pressing the talk button.

"Hey, Derek." she said, trying to sound completely normal. "Where are you?"

"Hop-al caf-er-a." he got out, and she rolled her eyes, knowing just what his issue was.

"Chew, swallow, then talk, baby." she reminded him, wanting to laugh at his stupidity. "We've been through this a billion times."

She heard him follow her instructions, and take in a deep breath, preparing to try again.

"I said, I'm in the hospital cafeteria." he said, and she propped her elbows up on the table, listening to him. "Me and Jay came up to get some lunch. We were up in Jeff's room all morning, talking to a few of the doctor's. They just gave us some information on the machines he's hooked up to, just so we know what everything does."

Casey nodded her head, even if he couldn't see her. She felt some sense of sorrow flood through her, and she immediately felt guilty. She would've sort of liked to have been there for that, to know what every machine was doing for her son.

"Oh..." she said slowly, trying not to sound too torn up over it. "That's cool, I guess."

She had a feeling that Derek could sense her emotion, for he sighed, sounding defeated.

"Never mind that." he said dismissively. "Where are you? Are you with Cole?"

Casey's stomach muscles tightened. She wasn't going to lie. She was going to... avoid the truth, but she wasn't going to lie to him. She loved him way too much to do that. Plus, her concious would never forgive her for telling lies. She was a generally honest person.

"Nope, I'm not with Cole." she said, watching as Ryan's eyes shot up with concern. "I'm just having lunch."

"Oh, so you're at home?" he asked, sounding relieved. "Great. Hey, would you mind grabbing my black address book off of the counter in the kitchen? I need to call a few people, to let them know I'm not gonna be at work for the next couple of days. They should know that anyway, if they've got any heart at all, but I'd feel better if I let them know."

Casey's eyes widened, and she sat there, wordless. How could she get out of that one, without straight out lying to him? She guessed that she could swing by the house and get it, but they were at a restauraunt on the other side of town, and it would seem weird if she took that long to get back to the hospital.

"Um, actually, I'm not at home." she said, and there was silence on the other line. "I went out for lunch."

"By yourself?" Derek questioned, and she could feel her heart beating madly in her chest. She thought that it was only going to be seconds before he'd completely bust her, and the fighting would begin. Surely, he'd be mad at her for hanging out with Ryan. She held her breath for a moment, trying to find a way out of this, but she was saved when he sighed, and went on.

"Yeah, you're weird." he decided, dismissing the matter. "Anyway. I'm going to go, alright? When are you coming back?"

She was silent for a moment as she tried to think, and she felt herself melt for him when he spoke into the phone, his voice a dull whisper.

"I miss you."

A lazy smile appeared on her lips; he sounded so adorably cute, and yet sexy, when he said that. She knew that he had been quiet, for fear of anyone hearing him being something of a sap, but she didn't mind; it was the thought that counted, right?

"Miss you too." she said, laughing a little bit. "And just so you know, you're the world's biggest sap."

Ryan was eyeing her with jealousy, and she tried to ignore him, and make the converastion with Derek as quick and unembarassing as possible. She looked away quickly, deciding it was best to end this now.

"Anyway, I'll be back soon, okay? I'm leaving now." she said, running a hand through her hair. "I love you. See you soon."

She heard him whisper something to Jayden, and there was a bit of shuffling on his end, but after a moment, he returned, and spoke up again.

"Alright." was all he said, sounding like he was attempting to eat something without her knowing. "Talk to you soon. We'll wait for you in the cafeteria, so you can find us."

With that, he was gone, and Casey sighed, flipping her cellphone shut. The screen went blank, and she stowed it back in her pocket, taking one more sip of her drink. She placed her glass back down, pushing it towards the center of the table with the rest of the dirty dishes.

"I've got to get going." she said, glancing down at her watch to see that she'd been with Ryan for over an hour, now. "Derek and Jay are waiting for me in the hospital cafeteria. They get moody when I make them wait too long. Honestly, they've got the shortest attention span's I've ever seen."

Ryan laughed, pushing his own dishes into the middle of the table. He straightened up, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. He stood up, and slipped his arms through his jacket, adjusting his collar. Casey zipped her own jacket back up, grabbing her bag off the back of the chair.

"Let's go pay." she said, sighing as she rummaged through her belongings for her wallet. Ryan shook his head, holding up a few bills.

"It's okay, I've got some money on me." he said, shrugging. "Consider it on me."

Casey hesitated, about to accept, but the thought was just too weird for her. She had to be careful about what signs she sent out to Ryan. Last time, he'd read her signals wrong, and figured she liked him. So she didn't want to chance him thinking that this was anything like a date, even if she'd told him that already. Anyone with common sense would know that, since she was married, but Ryan didn't seem to have much common sense, when it came to that. He seemed to have a 'what I want, I get' sort of attitude, like Derek.

"I can pay for mine." she said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be right."

Ryan smirked, slapping a twenty and a five down on the counter as the woman pushed the receipt towards him, and took his money. He waved his hand, signalling for her to keep the change, and he raised an eyebrow at Casey, looking rather smug.

"Why not?" he questioned, shrugging one shoulder. "We're friends, aren't we?"

With that, he brushed past her, leading the way to the car. Casey's hand froze halfway to her wallet, and she frowned, staring after him. He didn't look back, merely kept on going. She knew he'd have to wait for her in the car anyway, since she had the keys, so she was in no rush.

The lady at the counter, who looked no older than eighteen, pocketed her tip, and propped her chin up on her elbows, giving Casey a suggestive smile.

"I think he likes you." she observed, and Casey turned at the sound of her voice, still somewhat annoyed. The girl must have thought that Ryan was Casey's date, or something, judging by the smile on her face.

She stuffed her wallet back into her bag, digging her car keys out, and clutching them in her hand.

"Yeah, I think he does, too." she observed, a sinking feeling occuring in her stomach. "I've gotta fix that."

Without another word, she strode off towards the door, pushing her hair over her shoulder.

The girl at the counter watched her go, and when the door closed behind her, she merely shrugged, and returned to her work.

- - - -

Casey darted into the hospital cafeteria, after dropping Ryan off, and scanned the room for a sign of Derek, or Jayden. After a few moments of searching, her eyes fell on the sandy brown hair of the teenager, and she smiled, darting over towards him.

Slipping into the seat across from him, she raised an eyebrow, glancing around.

"Where's the other one?" she asked. "He got bored, I'm guessing."

Jayden shrugged, and nodded his head to indicate that she was right. Casey rolled her eyes, annoyed by Derek's short attention span.

"Honest to God, that man is-"

"Sexy, amazing, wonderful?" came a voice behind her, and she looked up to see that he hadn't left the cafeteria; he was right behind her. She scowled as he leaned down, kissing the top of her head. She used her elbow to lightly push him backwards away from her.

"Not to mention about to get his ass kicked, if he doesn't stop being so arrogant." she put in, as he slid into the seat next to her, sitting sideways so that he was facing her.

Derek smirked, placing a hand on her thigh gently.

"Sounds sexy."

Pushing his hand away, she shifted away from him slightly, embarassed.

"Sounds like a threat, actually." she said, glancing around them quickly. "And stop feeling me up in public, thank you."

Jayden choked on his Diet Pepsi, leaning into the table as he tried to stop himself from choking. Derek was staring at him with his eyebrows furrowed, and Casey rolled her eyes. Sitting with these two in public was never a good idea.

When Jayden emerged, red-faced from embarassment and lack of oxygen, he struggled for breath, and glared at them.

"Hello? I don't need to hear this sort of stuff. I'm an innocent, uncorrupted-"

Derek reached across the table to swat at Jayden's head, as he gave a disbelieving snort.

"Yeah, yeah." he said, shaking his head. "Like I don't already know that you're trying to get together with some girl named Kerri in your History class. You need to learn to keep your voice down when you've got your friends over, Jay."

Jayden's face reddened, and his eyes widened as his jaw dropped in shock.

"Dad!" he cried, clearly embarassed. "Stop listening in on my private conversations, thanks."

"Well if you'd keep them to something of a dull low, I wouldn't haer them from halfway across the freakin' house." Derek argued, laughing. "What did you call her again, Jay? A hottie with a-"

"Okay, that's it!" Casey said, holding out a hand to stop Jayden from swatting at Derek angrily. "You two behave yourselves. Derek, stop listening in on Jayden's conversations, and stop teasing him about liking a girl, however cute that may be."

Jayden rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment as Casey turned to him, frowning.

"And you!" she said, pointing a finger at him. Any trace of amusement wiped off his face and he stared at her, half frightened for his safety. She glared at him, leaning forwards slightly to examine him.

"I thought you'd have more respect for girls, than to judge them only on their looks."

Derek leaned forwards, mimicking Casey's actions as he attempted to pull a concerned and serious face.

"Yeah, Jayden." he said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Where a_re_ your morals?"

Casey glanced over, shaking her head in disgust as she pushed him back against his chair, ignoring how he laughed.

"You, be quiet." she said, having trouble keeping tabs on both of them at once. "Like you don't check out every girl who walks by."

Derek raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Are you saying you're okay with that?" he asked, sounding interested. "Hey, I'm not complaining. Bring on the booty."

Casey's eyes widened as Jayden laughed, and she turned to him, her jaw open in shock.

"Derek!" she cried, pouting slightly as though his words had hurt her, even if they both knew that he was joking. "What kind of comment is that?"

Derek pulled his best thinking face, biting down on his lip as he struggled for some sort of comeback. Finally, he looked up, shrugging his shoulders with a mischevious gleam in his eyes.

"I dunno, a flirtatious one?" he suggested, and she scowled, sitting back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest. He laughed again, but knew that she'd had enough of his teasing for one day. He softened, scooting closer to her, and wrapping his arms around her to pull her to him. It was an awkward position, with the both of them on different chairs, and she kept her body stiff, as not to allow him any sort of access to her.

"I'm joking, babe." he said, shaking his head as he pressed a kiss to the base of her neck gently. "I know better than to check out other girls. I value my life, remember? I've seen you when you're angry, it's not a pretty sight to-"

He trailed off as he saw her face reddening with anger, and he could feel her body tensing up in his arms. Sensing a danger zone, he quickly rushed for the right words, his eyes widening in panic.

"Uh, I mean, it's a beautiful sight." he corrected, forcing out a smile. "I mean, your cheeks get all red, and your eyes get all sparkly, and you start breathing all weird... kinda like now. Isn't that funny? But you don't have any reason to be mad, right?"

He grinned suggestively, raising an eyebrow as he awaited her response, hoping that his sucking up had worked.

"Right?" he repeated, and she rolled her eyes, relaxing against his side.

"You're lucky I'm tired, or else I'd keep on fighting with you." she said, sighing as she allowed him to wrap his arm tighter around her, and kiss the side of her head. She was immediately reminded that Derek was her perfect guy. No other guy could ever annoy her so much one minute, and then make her feel absolutely perfect, and relaxed, within a second. Only Derek could do that.

She sighed, and jumped slightly when her cellphone began to vibrate in her pocket. Derek shifted slightly, allowing her to reach into her pocket and grab her cellphone. She glanced down at the screen, and saw that it was her mother, or George. She sighed. She knew that they were probably calling to ask about coming to see Jeff. She wanted to allow them to do that, but she couldn't deal with them right now.

Biting her lip, she handed the phone to Jayden, smiling innocently.

"Can you talk to them?" she asked, her voice pleading as he glanced down at the screen, and cringed. "Come on, please, Jay? I'm not ready to talk to them about much, lately. I talked to them yesterday about Jeff, and that took me two hours. At least if you answer, they might keep it short."

Jayden snorted, but looked as though he was merely trying to avoid answering the phone, by stalling.

"Short, yeah." he deadpanned, shaking his head. "You mean like that two hour conversation I had with your Mom last week, about the rules of feminism? Yeah, that's my idea of short."

Casey pouted, secretly knowing that he was right, and that Nora's phone calls were never short.

"Please?" she begged, using her puppy dog eyes to the best of her ability. "Come on, she's your grandmother, you should show her some respect, and-"

Jayden must have sensed a lecture, for his eyes widened, and he held up a cautious hand, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay." he cried, flipping the phone open. "Geez. Hi Nora, what's up? Nope, Case isn't around right now."

Derek whispered something into her ear, and she nodded, grabbing her bag off the table. She stood up with Derek's arm around her waist, and motioned towards the ceiling, trying to indicate that they were going upstairs, to Jeff's room.

"Come up when you're done." she whispered, and Jayden merely nodded, rolling his eyes as Nora babbled away about her daughter's emotional state on the other end. He propped his chin up on his hand, slouching down slightly. This was gauranteed to be boring.

- - - -

It was a half an hour later, and Nora was still talking. Jayden wasn't even sure if he'd gotten four sentences out in the whole duration of their conversation. His eyes were half open as he struggled to stay awake, slumped over the table.

"Yeah, Nora." he said, rolling his eyes. "Baby blue would be a great colour to paint the bathroom. Yeah, you're right, sky blue was getting old. Mhm, oh, Marti is calling out to you? Oh, that's alright then. I'll let you go... no, there's no need to call back; I'll let her know you called."

He straightened up, sighing as she went on and on about what time Casey should try to call her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell her. Yep, love you too. Okay, bye."

Before she could get another word out, he snapped the cellphone shut, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"I swear, this talking thing runs in the family." he muttered, staring down at the phone in amazement. "I don't think she let me say more than fifty words."

He was about to stand up and go upstairs, when the phone vibrated again, and a little symbol of an envelope popped up, indicating that there was a text message. He frowned, flipping the phone open again, and it took him straight to her inbox. He knew that he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but click on her new message, which was from a number he didn't recognize. It wasn't saved in Casey's contact book, for it was showing up as an outside contact.

He glanced around to make sure that Casey or Derek weren't coming back, and when the coast was clear, he hunched over slightly, scanning through the message quickly.

_'Case,_

_Had a great time today. We should hang out again sometime? Don't forget; don't tell Derek._

_- Ryan'_

He felt like a wave of ice cold water had just been thrown over him. Ryan? Ryan... why did that name ring a bell? He thought hard, scraping at every tendril of memory he had to try and figure out who this guy was.

And then, he remembered. One day, about two years ago, Kallie's brother had come into town. Derek had told Casey that he didn't want her going around Cole and Kallie's place, because 'Ryan' would be there. He knew that Ryan must have been Kallie's brother. When Casey had questioned it, Derek had reminded her of what had happened 'the last time'. Jayden had unfortunately eavesdropped long enough to hear the remainder of that conversation, and had learned that Ryan had once kissed Casey, but that she had shoved him away. Jayden had never mentioned it, being thirteen at the time, and he had chosen to have faith in her, and believe that what Derek and Casey had said was true, that it had been Ryan's mistake, not Casey's.

But staring down at this text message now, he wasn't so sure what to believe about what was really going on.

He scowled down at the message, reading it over again.

_'We should hang out again sometime?' _

Jayden laughed, pressing a few buttons on the cellphone in front of him.

"Fat chance, Ryan." he said, smirking as he flipped the cellphone shut. He leaned back, stowing the phone in the pocket. He ignored the little notice that flashed 'Message deleted', for a total of five seconds. He stood up, his gaze determined.

"I'm not letting you get in the middle of _my _family."

* * *

**Bring on Jayden with a vengeance. Review, and I'll update soon. :) :) **


	6. Words of Advice

**Here's chapter six; sorry for the wait, but it's exam week, so it was to be expected! Updates shouldn't take as long after this week. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Six: Words of Advice**

By the time Casey, Derek and Jayden, got home, later that night, it was well past suppertime. Casey had called Lizzie, and asked if it would be okay for Kelly to eat supper there, since they were all sort of tired. It was alot easier to make something for just the three of them, rather than having to find something that Kelly would actually eat.

It was weird, just having the three of them there. For so long, there had been five of them, and it felt so normal. But now, it was like the old days, before Jeff was born. It was just Casey, Derek, and Jayden. And that was what it was like at suppertime, that night. Oddly enough, though, it was somewhat quiet, and if she wasn't mistaken, Jayden kept shooting her wierd looks the whole time. She figured she must be imagining it, for she had done nothing wrong, short of sticking him with a phone call to her mother, but that seemed hardly worthy of being angry over. She decided it must just be in her head, for it wasn't at all rational thinking.

"Jay," Casey started, attempting to start a conversation with him. He looked up, interested, and she went on. "Weren't you supposed to go to soccer practice this morning?"

He glanced down at his plate, poking at his food awkwardly as he struggled to come up with some sort of an excuse. Sensing this, Casey sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Don't lie. I'm not going to be mad," she said, shaking her head. "Forget about the non-refundable registration fee, and the hundreds of dollars we're after spending on equipment in the past year alone. Just, don't tell me you're quitting."

Jayden shook his head, managing to choke out a slight laugh.

"What makes you think I'm quitting?" he asked, amused. "I'd never quit soccer, Mom. You know that; it's my life."

She rolled her eyes, knowing that he was right, and she motioned for him to go on. Blushing, he continued, sounding slightly less confident in himself.

"I just... I dunno, I couldn't bring myself to go, with everything that happened yesterday. Jeff's in the hospital, and I know I wouldn't be focusing on a stupid sport, knowing my little brother was lying there, like that."

Casey nodded, feeling her throat close off slightly at the mention of her son, so distant from them, right now.

"It's okay," she said, sighing. "I'm sure your team will understand."

Jayden nodded, and he returned to poking at his food, barely taking in a single bite. It was obvious that there was something on his mind, but neither of them seemed to want to bring it up. Casey shot Derek a meaningful look, but he merely shrugged, just as clueless as she was.

Realizing that she was going to have to do the parenting here, she rolled her eyes at Derek, and gave Jayden a softer look.

"Everything okay, Jay?" she asked, her voice as gentle as possible. "You seem distracted."

He looked up, his eyes surprised, as though he hadn't really expected anyone to notice his silence. When he realized that he was being watched by both of his parents, he cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter.

"I'm fine; just a little tired," he dismissed, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me."

Neither one of them was convinced, but a nod of the head from Derek told her to leave him alone, that he would talk when he was good and ready. It didn't matter, anyway; because before she had a chance to do or say much of anything, Jayden had rushed on.

"Where did you go for lunch?" he asked her, his voice curious. "I thought you were staying at home."

Casey could feel her entire body tense up. She thought that this wouldn't come up again, not now, in front of both of them. She didn't know how to answer that without posing more questions.

Clearing her throat, she prepared to think up some good excuses on the spot.

"Well, you see... I, uh..." she started, but trailed off, unable to think of anything. "I..."

"Case, pass the salt, would you?" Derek asked, and she instantly reached for the salt shaker with trembling hands, eager for an escape to her son's question. But he was still looking at her when she finished the task, and she sighed, realizing that she was going to have to go against her own rules, and lie. It was just one time, right?

"I went to that place that we went to for Lizzie's birthday," she offered, shrugging. "I really like the food there, and... I dunno, I had a craving for that vegetable rice I had last time."

Jayden raised an eyebrow, his eyes disbelieving.

"You went there alone?" he questioned, and she could've sworn that there was a knowing tone in his voice as he spoke. "That's not like you."

Derek frowned at Jayden, a weird look coming over his features, as though he were confused. He chewed his food, knowing better than to talk while he was eating, with Casey there. Once he had swallowed, he figured it was safe to speak.

"Why are you so interested, bud?" he asked, stabbing at a piece of food on his plate with his fork. "You're acting like it's a crime to go out for lunch."

Jayden opened his mouth to say something, to argue his father's point. There was so much he could say back to him, right now. But the thought of anything coming between their family, especially with all they were going through right now... that was too scary to even face. He didn't want to be the cause of more problems, so he just shrugged, forcing himself to keep his gaze focused on his dinner.

"It's nothing," he lied, blushing. "Just forget about it."

Casey stared at him for a moment, and it was obvious that she was wondering just what Jayden knew. But that was ridiculous; Jayden couldn't have figured anything out. So she decided it was best to drop it.

Before she could say another word, the phone rang from somewhere in the living room, and Casey pushed back her chair, laying her fork down.

"I'll get it," she said, yawning. Before she had even stood up, Jayden had practically raced past her, his eyes concerned.

"It's okay; it might be for me!" he said, and before she could protest, he was gone. She raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Derek, who had his mouth half open as he stared after the teenager. He swallowed, giving a lopsided shrug, indicating that he didn't know what was going on.

"Maybe he was expecting a call from that girl," he suggested, grinning slightly. "If he's anything like me, he'll have the phones ringing off the hook by the time he's sixteen."

"Yeah, because growing up in that was oh-so-peaceful," she said sarcastically, annoyed. "And you wonder why I wanted a cellphone so badly; the phone was always tied up with you and your cheap whores."

"Hey, they weren't cheap whores," Derek defended, holding up a hand cautiously. She raised an eyebrow, and he grinned. "I'll have you know it cost a hell of a lot of money to take those girls out every night. Why do you think I got a job? It took up about ninety percent of my paycheck every week to pay for those dates."

Casey scowled, obvious jealousy floating through her features at the mention of Derek's dating spree back in high school. He sensed this, and softened, placing one hand over hers gently.

"If it helps any, I saved up for a year to buy you that engagement ring," he offered, remembering the day he had proposed to her, when they were nineteen. He saw a tiny smile appear on her lips, and he that she was dying to make that scowl disappear entirely.

"So what you're saying," she began, looking thoughtful, "-is that I'm worth about three hundred and sixty-five of your stupid blonde-bimbos?"

He laughed at her interesting way of wording things, but nodded his head in agreement, kissing the back of her hand gently.

"Yep, I guess that's right," he said, grinning. "And I bet Jayden's gonna follow right in my footsteps. He'll be a real ladies man. I bet he'll have his first date with that girl any day now."

She rolled her eyes at his suggestion, even if she found the idea of Jayden dating to be sort of cute, too.

"Derek, leave the poor kid alone!" she said, but she couldn't fight back a smile as she heard him say hello, from the living room. She glanced back at Derek, giggling slightly.

"Okay, I'm with you there, it's kind of cute," she admitted, and he smirked, before taking another bite of his dinner.

Meanwhile, out in the living room, Jayden had just picked up the phone. He kept his eyes on Derek and Casey, who were still joking around at the dinner table. Derek was annoying Casey about something now, and she was rolling her eyes at him. He rolled his own eyes; those two couldn't get along for a whole day if they tried.

"Is Casey there?" the voice on the other line asked, sounding slightly nervous. "I just tried her cellphone, but there was no answer."

Jayden felt his stomach clench; the number displayed on the Caller ID had been Cole's, but this definitely wasn't Cole. That probably meant that it would have to be the only other man that was staying there, Ryan.

"Who's this?" he asked, praying that it wouldn't be who he thought it was.

There was silence for a moment, as though the man was contemplating lying.

"Well, who's this?" came the other voice, and Jayden smirked. This was definitely Ryan, and he was probably nervous to be calling a line that Derek could so easily answer.

"It's Jayden," he informed the other man, folding one arm across his chest in defiance. "Casey and _Derek's _son."

An awkward silence enveloped them, and Jayden found that he was quite proud of himself. Ryan wasn't going to interefere with his family; not if he could help it.

"Alright then..." Ryan said slowly, gulping. "Um, could you just get Casey for me? It's, um, Cole's brother in-law."

"Ryan?" Jayden said knowingly, making sure that he kept his voice down, so that neither of his parent's would hear him. "Sorry, my Mom is busy right now."

Ryan paused, and Jayden was almost sure that he was aware of the fact that he was lying, though he didn't really care.

"What's she doing?" Ryan asked, sounding disbelieving. "I'm sure she could come to the phone for all of two minutes, couldn't she?"

Jayden glanced into the kitchen, where Derek and Casey had just finished up dinner. Casey was attempting to clear plates off the table, but Derek kept coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She was laughing, and had laid the plates down to try and struggle out of his hold, but he merely held her tighter, and buried his face against the back of her neck. Jayden smiled slightly; they were absolutely adorable, even if it was sickening sometimes. It was just this kind of thing that reassured him that Ryan didn't stand a chance against Derek.

"Sorry, she's spending time with her _husband_," he said smugly, watching as Derek spun Casey around, and kissed her. He turned away, rolling his eyes. "I don't think she'd want to be interrupted."

Ryan seemed to be thinking this through, but after a moment, he spoke up again, a definite hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Whatever," he said coldly, shaking his head. "I'll call her another time."

"I can tell her you called," Jayden suggested, knowing that there was no way Ryan would agree to that, knowing that Derek was going to be with her. He loved this sense of power, of being able to control Ryan like this.

"No, no!" Ryan assured him, his voice panicky. "That's... that's okay. I'll try her again another time, alright? Thanks, kid."

"It's Jayden," he said, his voice cold and uncaring. "And I've got to go. It was... uh... nice talking to you."

Before Ryan could utter another word, Jayden hung up the phone, and quickly erased their last incoming call. He shot one more look at Casey and Derek, who were too busy making out to even notice what Jayden was doing. He rolled his eyes, and quickly darted up the stairs towards his parent's bedroom. He snuck in, flicking the lightswitch on, and he found Casey's cellphone lying on the dresser, flashing her missed alert, from Ryan.

He erased the missed call, and let out a deep breath, placing the phone back down. This was _not _going to be easy.

- - - -

That night, Casey and Derek drove over to Lizzie's house to pick up Kelly. Jayden stayed home, claiming that he was going to head over to his friend Jordan's house for an hour or so. He hadn't really seen much of his friends in the past day or so, ever since Jeff had been in the hospital. So Casey and Derek had headed over to Lizzie and Edwin's on their own.

Their younger siblings still lived together, even in their late twenties. Surprisingly, there was still no romantic relationship between them. Casey and Derek had discussed the possibility a few times, because it seemed almost certain that they would've wound up together as well, seeing how close they were, but no such thing had occured. Lizzie had been going out with a man named Brandon for about four months, now. Edwin had been showing signs of jealousy, which Derek often teased him about.

Nonetheless, they never brought the possibility of a relationship up with their siblings, for fear of freaking them out.

They walked into their sibling's house at around nine, greeting the two younger ones as happily as they could. They were both exhausted, it was easy to see, but they were trying to hang in there.

Lizzie immediately got up from the table, and gave Casey a hug, nearly squeezing the air out of her.

"You've gotta be going through hell," she noted, sounding sympathetic. "I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you since... well, anyway..."

"Where's Kel?" Derek questioned, scratching the back of his neck casually. "No offence, but I don't really wanna stick around. I'm tired."

"-not to mention cranky," Casey added in, rolling her eyes. "He argued with me on the way over about commercials on the radio."

"Well, they're pointless," Derek pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. "Am I wrong?"

Casey rolled her eyes, turning away from him as Lizzie pulled away from her sister.

"Yes, you're wrong; as usual," she offered, and before he could answer, Lizzie spoke up, knowing it was best to just answer Derek's question, to avoid another argument.

"Kelly's in on my bed, asleep," she informed him, nodding towards the door, which was open a crack. "She went to lie down about an hour and a half ago. We checked on her about five minutes later, and she was out like a light. The poor kid was having trouble watching TV, even."

"Well the past few days have been busy," Derek said, shrugging. "I'll go get her, Case."

"Nah, I'll come," Casey offered, and held up a hand to her sister. "I'll be right back."

As her eyes locked with Casey's, Lizzie mouthed something to her, her eyes confused.

_'I've got to talk to you_,' was all she offered, and Casey's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, curious as to what this may be about. Lizzie shook her head, indicating that they'd talk later. Casey nodded, and followed Derek into Lizzie's room, which was enveloped in darkness.

She flicked the light on, and sat down on the edge of her sister's bed, glancing down at the sleeping toddler on the bed. Kelly's mouth was slightly open, her cheek pressed against the pillow as she slept on her side, the blankets enveloping her in warmth.

Casey reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind the little girl's ear, and she touched her cheek gently, smiling.

"Kel..." she whispered, her voice gentle. "Wake up."

Derek crouched down next to the bed, biting his lip as he examined his sleeping daughter. He wished that waking Jeff up could be just as easy was waking Kelly up, but he knew that their states of conciousness were completely different, right now.

"Baby, wake up," he said gently, and she stirred as Derek's hand ran through her hair, calming her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw Derek first. She squinted, her eyes still half closed, and there was a cute little pout on her face, one that signalled she wanted to go back to sleep.

"Daddy?" she questioned, and Derek nodded, his soft side immediately opening up for his daughter.

"C'mon, Kel," he said, smiling at her as he rubbed her back gently. "Time to go home and go to sleep in your own bed."

"This one," she argued, her voice a dull murmer as Derek lifted her up gently, securing her in his arms. "Cold..."

Derek frowned, glancing down at Casey.

"Case, want to pass me a blanket, or something?" he asked, holding Kelly tighter to try and warm her up. Casey glanced around, looking for a free one. "That blue one in the corner will do. It's just a fleece one."

Casey nodded, and stood up, crossing the room to retrieve the fleece throw. She went back over to Derek and Kelly, and helped Derek wrap the little girl up in her blanket. She was only wearing a thin shirt, seeing as it was summer, and it had been warm out when they'd dropped her off. But the nights were known to be more chilly, and Kelly was known to get cold easily, anyways.

"That better?" Derek asked his daughter, but she had already drifted off to sleep against his shoulder, her thumb in her mouth. Derek smiled faintly, kissing the top of her head, before motioning for Casey to go on ahead of him. He followed behind her, making sure that Kelly was secured tightly in his arms.

"Want to get the light, Case?" he whispered, and she nodded, waiting outside the door for him to leave, so that she could reach in and flick the light off.

When they returned to the living room, Derek went over to talk to Edwin for a moment, as Lizzie pulled Casey aside, her eyes concerned and slightly worried.

"Case, I've gotta talk to you," she said desperately, keeping her voice to a dull whisper so that the boy's couldn't hear her.

Casey nodded, rolling her eyes at her sister's subtle way of wording things.

"Well, I could've guessed that," she offered, shaking her head. "What's this about?"

Lizzie glanced over at her stepbrothers, as though making sure neither of them could hear her, and she nervously glanced back at Casey, frowning slightly.

"Who were you out to lunch with?" she asked, watching as Casey's face fell. "Brandon and his sister went out for lunch today, and they mentioned that they saw you there with some guy. And that guy definitely wasn't Derek, or Brandon would've recognized him. So who was it?"

Casey was pale, and she could feel her heart racing as she struggled to think of an answer. Why did everyone seem to be questioning her, today?

"He's Kallie's brother, um... Ryan..." she said slowly, watching as Lizzie's eyes widened in horror; Lizzie knew what had occured with Ryan a few years ago, and she knew that she was about to get an earful.

"Are you serious?" Lizzie hissed, her jaw hanging open. "Casey, that's bad; that's really bad! You don't go out to lunch with a guy who has some major crush on you, when you're already taken. It's like... an unwritten rule, or something. Don't you know anything?"

Casey frowned at Lizzie, feeling strange to be lectured by her little sister. Usually, she was the one explaining the rules of dating to her, not the other way around. And she wasn't so sure she liked being told that her own actions were wrong, even if she knew they were. But still, Ryan was just her friend, and everyone was going to have to accept that sooner or later.

"Liz, calm down," she started, shaking her head to indicate that Lizzie had it all wrong. "Ryan is just my friend. Sure, he probably has some stupid crush on me, but I don't like him, and that's all that matters. He knows better than to make a move on me, after last time."

Lizzie stared at her for a moment, blinking in disbelief. She seemed to be trying to process Casey's words, but when she couldn't, she shook her head, her eyes narrowed.

"Casey, this is a _man _we're talking about. Men aren't the smartest of creatures; you know that! You're married to one of the best."

Casey folded her arms across her chest, sighing. She glanced over at Derek, who was talking to Edwin about something or another, and she couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight of him. He was so cute when he had Kelly. He always kept his voice to a dull low when she was asleep, and made sure that he was securing her tightly. And the way he'd demanded a blanket the second she'd mentioned she was cold was absolutely adorable. But then again, he'd always been a great father.

She turned back to Lizzie, smiling faintly with the knowledge of her secure feelings for him.

"I love Derek, okay?" she said to her younger sister, shrugging. "Ryan's my friend, and if he has a crush on me, that's not my problem. I'm already taken."

Lizzie sighed, knowing that Casey was going to do what she wanted to do, no matter what anyone said. It was a well known fact that she was a very stubborn woman.

"Fine, just watch out for him, okay?" she asked, her voice pleading. "I don't want anything to mess up yours and Derek's relationship. You guys have always been through so much."

Casey nodded her head, and Lizzie straightened up a bit, glancing over her shoulder at both of her stepbrothers, who were still talking. Looking back at Casey, she frowned.

"Does Derek even know that Ryan's back?" she asked, sounding worried.

Casey blushed, shaking her head, and she saw the way that Lizzie's face shone with shock, and disappointment.

"Casey!" she hissed, clearly surprised by her sister. "You can't just sneak around behind his back. You've gotta tell him."

Casey cringed at her sister's words, knowing that Lizzie was absolutely right; she was techniaclly lying to Derek right now, and that wasn't a good thing.

"I'm afraid he'll be mad at me, if I tell him," she admitted, her face a deep shade of red. "I mean, you know how much he hates Ryan, and you know how overprotective he is when it comes to me. He gets mad when another guy so much as _looks _at me. He'd go nuts."

"But he hates it when you lie to him, too," Lizzie said sadly, shaking her head. "And, like it or not, that's what you're doing."

Casey ran a hand through her hair, allowing her eyes to close in frustration.

"I know, Liz," she said, sighing in defeat. "Look, Ryan's going to be going back home in a week or two, and I won't have to worry about it."

Lizzie shrugged, as though she didn't see Casey's point.

"Who's to say he won't stick around, once you start hanging out with him more?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, he likes you, you'll be hanging out with him, why wouldn't he stick around for the summer? He's got a roof over his head, family, friends..."

"You're not helping," Casey pointed out, scowling. "Just... give it time. When the time's right, I'll let Derek know, okay? Until then, just please... don't tell anyone. I don't want it getting back to Derek. He has nothing to worry about when it comes to Ryan, and I don't want to add more stress to his life, especially not now."

Lizzie thought for a moment, staring at her sister uncertainly. After a moment, she sighed, letting out a slow and patient breath.

"Fine," she agreed, nodding her head. "I won't tell. But just... look out for yourself."

Casey smiled at her sister, hugging her quickly to show her obvious gratitude.

"Thanks," she whispered, relieved that she had Lizzie on her side, as usual. "It means alot."

- - - -

By the time Casey got Kelly to sleep in her own bed, and Derek got Jayden home and settled away from his friend's house, it was almost eleven o'clock at night. They collapsed together on their bed, Derek's hand entwined with Casey's gently.

"Rough day, huh?" he murmered, his free hand pressed against his face as they lay there on their backs, grateful for the relaxation that their bodies had been begging them for all day long.

She snorted, squeezing his hand gently.

"Rough day?" she questioned, sounding amused. "Try rough week. I can't believe everything that's happening right now."

"I know, Case," he said, sighing. There was a pause, before he spoke again. "What did you think about what the doctor said earlier, about life support?"

Casey paused, racking her brain to try and remember what had been said about life support. She'd been overloaded with information that day, so it was sort of hard to remember one particular bit of information.

"Which part?" she asked curiously, as Derek rolled onto his side, to look down at her. He gave her a pointed look, and she frowned, knowing what he meant.

"Oh," she said slowly, biting her lip. "You mean... the part about taking someone off life support, if things are bad enough?"

Derek nodded, swallowing hard to rid himself of any weakness or fear that might be visible in his features.

"Yeah," he confirmed, his voice slightly nervous. "That part."

Casey squirmed uncomfortably, frowning as she thought hard about it. She tried to imagine telling the doctors to take her son off life support, but for some reason, she couldn't picture herself doing it.

"I don't know, Derek," she admitted, shrugging. "It's too early to think about something like that. He's only been in a coma for a few days. You heard the doctor; he said he wouldn't even think of recommending that for Jeff, yet."

"I know," Derek said, shrugging as he traced gentle circles on her cheek with his thumb. "But... I mean, thinking long-term, what would we do, if they asked us to do it?"

She shook her head, unable to even face that possibility, yet.

"Don't put this on me now, Derek," she said, cringing slightly. "Until the time comes, I don't even want to think about that, alright? It's not exactly a decision we'd be making in a split second, anyway."

He nodded, and kissed her forehead, sensing that he had upset her a little bit. She had traces of pain in her eyes, and he softened, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," he said, biting on his lip.

She wanted to respond, but honestly, she couldn't think of anything to say to him right about now.

Derek smoothed some of her hair back off of her face, stroking her cheek gently afterwards. His eyes were scanning every inch of her face, as though trying to memorize it's detail, and she was reminded of just how amazing he was. He loved her for who she was, for every little thing about her. Sometimes, when he took the time to just look at her like he was doing now, she had to wonder if he was trying to remind himself that this was real. He always had this faraway look in his eyes when he did it, and she had to wonder just what he was thinking of, when he looked at her like that.

Whatever it was, she liked it.

"Everything okay?" she asked him, running her hand through his hair. "You look all... thoughtful. And when you're thinking, there's something big going on."

He seemed to snap out of his trance as he grimaced, rolling his eyes at her.

"I can think, thank you," he said, defensively. "I just... I don't do it very often. It hurts my head, after awhile."

She laughed lightly, the vibrations of it tickling his chest.

"Typical," she stated, shaking her head. "Leave it to you to come up with some stupid reason to be... well... stupid."

He frowned, clearly offended by her choice of words.

"Hey now," he said, his voice slightly more confident, now. "You lecture me all the time about women's rights, but what about my rights? You're always insulting me."

"Because you're always a jerk!" she exclaimed, laughing still. "Honestly, Derek. If you don't want me to be mean, then you've got to be nice to me first."

"I'm nice to you," he said, shrugging. "-at select times, anyway."

She raised an eyebrow at him, looking slightly amused, and he rolled his eyes, understanding that he was only digging himself in deeper, here.

"Oh, come on!" he pleaded, sounding desperate now. "I'm nice enough. I compliment you at least once a day, I give you kisses, I tell you I love you, I eat your stupid tofu-delight and act... delighted... what more do you want from me? I'm a man! Believe me, if you weren't as fiesty as you are, I wouldn't even be doing that much."

Her hand, which had been combing subconciously through his hair, grazing his scalp, froze, and she gave him a pointed look, waiting expectantly. He stared at her for a moment, before groaning, and falling back down against the pillows, clearly frustrated.

"You're impossible!" he delcared, letting go of her, and burying his face into his hands. "Stubborn, fiesty-"

He trailed off at the look on her face, and gulped, paling slightly.

"-sexy, amazing, beautiful, kind... giving, woman!" he finished, forcing a smile. "How was that?"

She rolled her eyes, turning onto her side, and pressing a hand against his chest as she allowed her face to hover a few inches above his, propped up by her elbow.

"It was as fake as most of your excuses, but I'll forgive you, for now," she said, her voice warning. "Mainly because I love you so much. You're lucky."

Derek grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist, and flipping her so that he was on top of her, smirking down at her. His elbows propped him up on either side, so that he wouldn't put too much weight on her, and she giggled, threading her fingers through his hair gently.

"You're such a sap," she murmered, leaning in closer. Her lips grazed against his, but she didn't let him kiss her. She kept her lips there, smirking when he groaned in frustration.

"Come on, Case," he said, as she kept her mouth firmly closed. "Enough of the teasing, okay? I've been good all day."

A suggestive gleam swept through her features, and she raised an eyebrow at him, trailing her hands down to his neck, gripping there gently.

"The day isn't over, yet," she reminded him, watching as he gulped nervously. "You've still got time to be bad."

He immediately caught onto what she was saying, and after a moment, his pale face flushed with excitement, and his eyes lit up. He had that sexy smirk of his, the one that drove her crazy, and she figured he must be doing it purposely.

"I can be a rebel," he offered, shrugging. "But it's better when you're in on it too, if you catch my drift."

Casey giggled, kissing him very quickly, and trailing her hands down to tug on the hem of his shirt lightly.

"I think we're thinking somewhere along the same lines," she murmered, her lips already against his as her words died away. "Now shut up, Venturi, and kiss me."

He reached onto the nightstand, his lips never leaving hers, and he flicked the lamp off, before allowing his hands to grip at her waist again, happy to be where they belonged.

* * *

**So this chapter was sort of happy, but things are going to start spiralling within the next few chapters. :) Review, and more shall follow!**


	7. Jeff Squared

**Some Dasey in this chapter, and a bit of info on Derek's past. Along with some Jeff. This was mainly a filler to get to something more. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Seven: Jeff Squared**

The next evening, Derek made a suggestion to Casey that they go out to dinner, just the two of them. He claimed that they 'hadn't been clicking' lately, and that he wanted to spend some alone time with her. She wasn't sure if this was just his way of relieving some stress, or if he actually did want to spend time with her, but nonetheless, she agreed. They waited for Jayden to get home from his friend Jordan's, where he had been playing soccer all afternoon. They needed him to watch Kelly, so the second he came in through the door, Casey practically bombarded him.

"Jay!" she exclaimed, rushing into the porch happily. He looked up, scratching his forehead carelessly. "Would you mind watching your sister for a couple of hours?"

Jayden, who was covered in a mixture of grass-stains, dirt, and sweat, groaned, tilting his head back in frustration.

"C'mon, Mom," he pleaded, sounding annoyed. "I don't wanna watch her all night."

"Jayden!" Casey cried, surprised. "She's your sister!"

"Well I know that much," he said, rolling his eyes as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "It's just... I dunno, I wanted to have a couple of friends over tonight. It's Kayla's birthday tomorrow, but she's going out with her family, so we were all going to hang out tonight."

Casey frowned slightly, shifting her weight to her other foot as she debated this in her head. Kayla was one of Jayden's best friends, but the two of them weren't romantically involved or anything. She had been hanging around with Jayden for about five years, now.

"Well, what were you guys planning on doing?" she asked, contemplating this in her mind. "Are you staying inside?"

Jayden nodded, looking somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah, we were gonna go out on the trampoline for a bit, and watch a movie on the big-screen or something."

Casey couldn't help but smile; that trampoline that they'd bought the boys two years back definitely came in handy when they wanted friends over. It was a pretty good source of entertainment, and it kept them busy for hours. Besides, they had to stay active in someway besides soccer.

"Well, if you want, you can invite your friends over. Once Kelly goes to bed, you can go out in the backyard on the trampoline, but make sure you bring the baby moniter out with you, okay? I don't want her waking up crying, and you having no way of knowing she needs you."

Jayden nodded, grinning. He blew a strand of dirty hair away from his eyes, and Casey was instantly reminded of how much he was like Derek, even if they weren't biologically linked whatsoever.

"That's fine," he said, shrugging. "Kelly goes to bed at around eight, and they probably won't be coming over till then anyway, since I need to get a shower and everything-"

"-obviously," Casey put in, reaching out to wipe a streak of dirt off his face. He ducked away, scowling at her, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Honestly, you're worse than Derek!" she complained, shaking her head. "You men just love dirt, don't you?"

Jayden smirked, shrugging his shoulders as she pulled away, and he straightened up.

"It's one of our many specialties," he offered, sounding proud. Casey bit back the urge to fight with him on that, and watched as Jayden turned towards the stairs, dropping his soccer bag on the landing. He only made it up about three steps, when he turned around, one hand gripping the railing tightly.

"Wait a second..." he said slowly, looking suspicious. "Where did you say you were going, again?"

Casey was slightly surprised by how mistrusting his voice seemed to be, and she was again struck with the urge to ask him what exactly he knew. But she bit it back as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, forcing a smile.

"I didn't say; but Derek's taking me out to dinner," she offered, placing a hand on her hip. "Why? Where did you think I was going?"

Jayden looked relieved, and he took a step backwards, bringing him up one more step.

"Oh, nowhere," he said, but she knew this was a lie. "Hey, can you leave some pizza money on the counter, or something? You know how hungry we get."

Casey rolled her eyes, knowing that he was right, and that him and his friends always managed to eat them out of house and home, when they hung out.

"Yeah, I'll leave you some money," she agreed, sighing. "There's some soda in the freezer in the basement, and I think there's a few bags of chips down there too, unless you and Derek ate them all, which I wouldn't doubt."

Jayden grinned a little bit, shrugging his shoulders to indicate that he didn't know.

"I guess we're gonna find out," he said, sounding amused. "When are you two leaving?"

Casey glanced down at her watch as she grabbed her jacket off of the coat-rack, and she frowned, allowing her eyes to dart up to the top of the stairs.

"Now, if your idiot of a father would hurry up," she said, her voice annoyed, yet amused, all at once. "Derek! Get down here!"

Derek appeared at the top of the stairs, adjusting the top button of his blue button-up shirt. He tilted his neck to the side, trying to find comfort in the collar of his shirt. He looked all bothered, and Casey knew it was because he hated it when they had to actually look nice to go somewhere. He was more a fan of the messy, slacker, don't-care, sort of style. But when he took Casey out for a date, that sort of look just couldn't exsist. Because if it did, the date would suddenly be non-exsistant.

"I'm coming, woman!" he said, frustrated. "Learn to have some patience."

He paused to see Jayden standing in the middle of the steps, absolutely filthy. He stopped, looking the teenager up and down, and he frowned, shaking his head.

"Here's a hint, kid," he offered, clapping a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "-take a shower, and the babes will love you. When I said go for the messy approach, I didn't exactly mean go out in the backyard and roll in a mudpile."

Jayden scowled, and Derek pulled his hand back, wincing at the mud that had gotten all over his hand. He paused to smear it on the step behind him, and Casey's jaw dropped in annoyance as she glared at her carefree, happy go lucky, husband.

"Derek!" she cried, frustrated. "Is that any place for mud to go?"

He shrugged as he reached the bottom step, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans.

"It is, now!" he offered, and before she had a chance to retaliate, he glanced up at his oldest son, grinning. "See you later, Jay."

Jayden merely shook his head in amusement, as his parents walked out of the house, Casey yelling at Derek about proper household hygeine on the way out.

- - - -

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want any of this, Derek?" Casey asked, poking at a piece of Tortellini on her plate. "It's stuffed with Parmesan cheese. It's actually really good."

The corner of Derek's lip curled up in disgust as he stared at the food on her plate, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't touch that stuff with a ten foot pole," he informed her, sounding like he wanted to be sick. "I'll stick to my steak, thanks."

Casey grinned, taking another bite of her pasta. An evil idea came over her, and she shrugged as she chewed her food, and swallowed hard.

"I guess that means you won't be kissing me for the rest of the night, right?" she asked, trying to refrain from laughing as his eyes widened in horror. "I mean, I'm eating it, and since you wouldn't go near this stuff with a ten foot pole..."

"Ten foot pole?" Derek asked, choking out panicked laughter. "What are you talking about, Case? I love this stuff. This... noodle-y, chees-y-"

He stabbed at a piece of the pasta on her plate, cringing as he forced himself to take a bite of it. He chewed slowly, and all of a sudden, an amazed look came over his face, and he stared from his fork, to her plate.

"Wow, that's good," he said, and she raised an eyebrow, a smug smile appearing on her face. He grinned. "Gimme!"

He stabbed at another piece of it, shoving it in his mouth, but when he went for the third piece, she slapped at the back of his hand, scowling.

"Order your own, you pig," she said, disapprovingly. "I asked if you wanted some, not the whole freakin' plate. I've gotta eat, you know!"

He pouted, but she completely ignored him, immune to his sooky ways, by now. When he realized that his attitude wasn't working, he slumped down in his seat, poking at his own vegetables.

"Fine," he muttered, sounding angry, even if they both knew that he really wasn't. "Just ruin my hopes and dreams, why don't you?"

She shrugged, taking another bite of her pasta, and a tiny smile came over her face as she watched his own eyes flicker with jealousy.

"Oddly enough, I'm okay with that," she offered, and he muttered something that wasn't even audible, before returning to his own dinner. Moments later, a waitress appeared at their private booth, smiling down at the two of them happily. She appeared to be in her twenties, and had blonde hair with a brown streak in the front. It was all pulled back into a pony tail, and her brown streak was held back with a clip.

"Is there anything else I can get for you two?" she asked, her hands clasped together in front of her. Casey had to refrain from laughing; this girl was a bit too perky for her liking. She tried to tell herself that her dislike for the girl had nothing to do with the fact that she kept flirting with Derek.

Derek looked up at her, and immediately straightened up. Casey sighed; he was a married man, and he was entirely committed to her, but he couldn't pass up a chance to put on the old Venturi charm.

"You know, a plate of this here Noodle stuff wouldn't hurt," he said, giving a gesture towards Casey's plate. "Some people don't know how to share their food, so..."

"Oh, stop it," Casey muttered, finding his subtle hints amusing. "Bring him a plate of Tortellini, just to shut him up. For my sanity, please."

"Do you see what I put up with?" Derek asked the waitress, who looked slightly out of place, as though she wasn't sure that she should get involved in this. "It's abuse, I tell you. Abuse."

"Oh, you haven't seen abuse yet," Casey warned him, smirking. "This is me in a good mood."

"Okay then, one plate of Tortellini coming right up!" the waitress said, her eyes widening at the mention of violence. "I'll be back soon with that."

"Thanks," Derek said, adding in a wink as she wandered off. Casey scowled at him as he stared after her, probably checking her out.

"Derek!" she hissed, clutching his wrist angrily. "Could you be a little less obvious? You've got your wife sitting right across from you, and you're checking out your waitress? Hello?"

"Hi, nice talking to you," he offered, and pretended to be staring off in the direction that the waitress had just gone in, since Casey couldn't see that she was gone, because of the way she was sitting. She slapped his wrist, hard, her eyes hurt.

"Derek!" she cried, annoyed. "I'm right in front of you! Maybe you could keep your man-tactics on the downlow, just while I'm here!"

He laughed at her obvious frustration, bringing her hand closer, and kissing the back of it gently to calm her down a little bit.

"Relax, baby," he told her, gesturing towards the direction the waitress had just gone. She glanced over her shoulder to see that no one was there, anymore. "She's gone, see? So you're getting all worked up for nothing. The beauty of it is that I like seeing you all hot and bothered like that. Your face gets all red, and your eyes flash, and you get all... oh, okay, I'm gonna stop now, while I still have my safety..."

"-and your head," she muttered, glaring down at her plate of food. "Honestly, you're a whore."

"Proud member of _that _club since two thousand. When did you join?"

She looked up at him, smiling coldly.

"Bite me," she replied, annoyed.

He merely smirked, winking at her.

"With pleasure."

"You're disgusting," she put in, rolling her eyes as she looked away in disgust. "Honestly, how do you live with yourself?"

Derek grinned, shrugging his shoulders as he cut his meat into sloppy pieces, pushing them away from the rest of his food.

"Casey, Casey, _Casey_," he mused, sighing happily as he chewed his food, swallowing before he continued. "We've been going through this for years. Guys like me? We don't have a conscience to worry about."

She snorted, running a hand through her hair as the waiter came back with a plate of Tortellini in her hands, catching Derek's eye.

"Clearly," she muttered, but she knew that he was only doing it to annoy her, now. She knew he didn't mean anything by it, and that he wasn't seriously interested in the waiter. He just loved annoying her to no end.

"Thanks," he said to the woman, smirking. The girl blushed, and scurried away quickly. Derek was sure to cast Casey a smirk, at which she merely rolled her eyes, and looked away from him. The man would never change, honestly.

- - - -

After they finally left the restauraunt, Derek suggested that they go and visit Jeff. They hadn't visited him yet, today, and they had agreed that visiting him everyday would be best. They didn't want to miss a thing, and they definitely didn't want to go a day without seeing him, when anything could happen in an instant. They knew that their time with him could be limited, even if they weren't ready to admit that, yet.

The doctor let them into the hospital room, telling them to call him in if they needed anything.

Nothing had changed, within the past few days. Jeff was still lying in the exact same position as he had been in a few days ago, and his facial expression was still unmoving, uncaring, completely void of emotion. With the tiny exception that the blood had been cleaned off of him, Derek rather felt that if he had taken a picture on Jeff's first day in the hospital, and compared it to now, there would be next to no difference.

"He looks... he looks..."

Casey struggled for the words as she stood a few feet away from Derek, not really prepared to go over there again, just yet. Derek smiled sadly, placing his hand over Jeff's gently, the IV brushing against his wrist.

"He looks like he's not really there," Derek finished for her, unsure of how to explain it. "Like physically, he's here, but he's really gone."

Casey cringed, taking a step forwards.

"Don't say that," she begged, shaking her head. "He's here. Of course he's here; he'd never leave us."

Derek laughed softly, his eyes never moving from his son's motionless body.

"It's not like he really has a choice, Case," he reminded her, knowing that this was the truth. "There's only so much that one person can take."

"He's taken this much, hasn't he?" she asked, sounding more hopeful than she really felt. "I think he can hold on."

Derek knew that there was no arguing with her, even if he privately wanted to agree with everything she was saying. Jeff was a Venturi; he could hang in there. Outwardly, he was voicing what he knew had to be said, to make it seem like he was thinking completely realistically.

But, in reality, there wasn't a single logical thought running through his mind. He had just as much faith in Jeff as Casey did. He just didn't want to appear too confident, in case he was wrong. He was hoping that, if he said the words enough, they may be able to sink in, with time.

Somehow, he doubted it.

Derek watched his son quietly as Casey flipped open her phone, as it has just vibrated.

"Who's that, babe?" he asked, not looking up. "Call or text?"

"Text," she said quietly, reading her message with confusion in her eyes. She frowned as she read the unfamiliar number; who was this?

But as she finished reading the message, and her eyes fell on the signature, she felt her stomach drop.

_C, _

_Don't you return calls? Lunch, tomorrow?_

_-Ryan_

She paled, glancing up at Derek. Well now she knew who it was. What was he talking about, 'she didn't return calls'? He hadn't called her, had he? She supposed she might've missed it, and deleted the alert by accident, but she rarely did that. But that didn't matter; how could Ryan want to go out to lunch with her, again? The dude was acting like they were dating or something. In fact, if she hadn't made it quite clear to him that nothing could happen, she would've thought that he had his signals crossed, again. How could she hang out with him a second time? Someone had seen her the last time, but luckily, it had just been her sister's boyfriend.

But what if, next time, it was someone who would actually tell Derek? She couldn't let that happen.

"Case?" Derek asked again, glancing over his shoulder at his speechless wife. "Who texted you?"

Casey looked up, her eyes connecting with his curious ones. She felt so guilty; he was so clueless as to who she was spending her time with, and here he was, trying to take her out, so that they could 'spend some time' together. Maybe if she wasn't spending so much time with Ryan, he wouldn't have to do this.

"It's no one," she answered quickly, biting her lip. "It was Cole; he wanted to know where I was."

She immediately regretted her words. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't lie. She'd lied to Derek and Jayden yesterday, about lunch, and now she was lying about her text messages. What sort of person was she turning into?

She quickly thought it over. Maybe she could go out with Ryan tomorrow, but just to have a talk with him. This secrecy couldn't continue. She had to tell Ryan that she wasn't going to be keeping things from Derek, anymore. If he wanted to be friends, it was going to be out in the open. She wasn't going to lie to Derek.

So she hit the Reply button, and quickly typed back an answer.

_'Didn't get your call. Lunch tomorrow is fine. When?'_

She shut her phone, putting it back in her pocket, to wait until he replied. She watched as Derek spoke to Jeff, quietly.

"Hey, bud," he was whispering, his voice gentle. "You gotta wake up, alright? We all really need you... me, and your Mom, and Kelly, and Jayden. We're not the same family without you here. Jayden wants me to play soccer with him tomorrow night, against him. How am I supposed to win without my best little scorer by my side? Casey is too competitive, and Kelly can't kick a ball, yet."

Casey was going to argue with him on that one, but she privately knew that Derek was right; she was extremely competitive, when it came to sports. If she was on Derek's team, she'd boss him around half the time, claiming that it was his fault they were losing. The four of them loved playing soccer together, since Jayden's life was so dominated by the sport, and Jeff had joined the younger league a year before. Casey just liked spending time with the three of them, and Kelly would usually laugh and cheer on her siblings and parents from the other side of the yard. Sometimes, one of the boys would stand behind her, and instruct her to kick the ball. They'd stand really close to the net, and whoever was in net would just let it go in, enjoying how excited she got over it.

It wasn't going to be the same without Jeff.

"Your sister asked me to give you this," Derek said quietly, reaching into his pocket for the Happy Meal toy that Kelly had gotten a few days ago. "We were going to bring it to you the other day, but I forgot it; sorry. She said it might help you feel better. I hope she's right."

Derek placed the toy, a miniature beanie baby, down on Jayden's bedside, next to an assortment of cards and flowers.

"Here you go, bud," he said, smiling sadly. "You gotta hurry up and get better, so you can come home and thank her for it."

Casey looked away as her phone went off again, signalling that Ryan had texted her back. She glanced at Derek quickly, before flipping it open again, scanning through Ryan's reply.

_'One-thirty. That place downtown, by that flower place. See you there!' _

Casey rolled her eyes as she wrote back.

_'Wow, you're specific. I know where it is, though. See you then.'_

She turned off her phone again, not wanting anymore unnecessary interruptions, while she was visiting her son. She wouldn't have even been texting Ryan, if she didn't really need to talk to him. But she did, and that took away some of her guilt.

For now, anyway.

Derek was watching Jeff with a weird look on his face, and suddenly, he turned around, giving Casey a look he'd never given her before.

"Case, can we go?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "There's somewhere I wanna go before we go home."

Casey frowned; this was definitely unexpected. Derek had been so eager to visit Jeff, and all of a sudden, he wanted to leave, just like that? It must be pretty important, for him to be so willing to leave.

"Where do you wanna go?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, standing up, and taking her hand.

"You'll see," he dismissed, casting Jeff one more look. "Come on."

She cast one more look at her comatose son, before sighing, and allowing Derek to lead her from the room.

- - - -

It took them a half an hour to drive to wherever it was Derek wanted to go. It was completely dark out now, and the wind was a bit chilly. When he shut the car off, in a gravel parking lot in some secluded area at the very far end of London, he rubbed his hands together, glancing over at Casey.

"You coming with me?"

She blinked at him a few times, a weird look on her face.

"Derek, this is a graveyard," she pointed out, motioning towards the gates of the large space in front of them, that indicated such news. "This is like, the setting for a murder story, or a rape, or a-"

"Oh calm down, you big baby," he said, rolling his eyes as he ruffled her hair a little. "Nobody's going to touch you while I'm here. You're more likely to get hurt by staying here."

She barely had a chance to contemplate this, before he had pushed his car door open, and climbed out. She rolled her eyes as his usual randomness, before opening her own door, and running after him. He was already all the way up to the gates by the time she finally caught up to him.

She trailed along behind him, wordless as he made his way down between the rows of headstones, completely ignoring her as he stuck his hands in his pockets, looking around, as though looking for something.

"Derek!" she cried, out of breath. "Would you mind telling me why we're going to a graveyard at like, eleven o'clock at night? I mean, not only is that sorta creepy, but it's completely pointless. We don't know anyone, buried here, do we?"

Derek finally stopped in front of a well-kept grave, with a larger headstone. There was an engraved picture of a man on the grave, along with the usual enscription, which Casey could not make out in the darkness.

One thing she could make out, however, was the name that was etched into the stone. It stood out in white, against the general, black outline.

_'Jeffrey Samuel Walker'_

Casey instantly understood, and she fell silent, allowing Derek to have a moment to himself. She pushed her hands into her pockets as he took a step forwards, his hair blowing in the wind gently.

He had been hit with the urge to come here, when he had been sitting with his own son, Jeff. He hadn't been here in a month or two, now, but it was clear that someone had been here, for there were no weeds growing around the headstone, or anything. He knew that Jeff's parents were known to stop by, as well as a few of Jenna's relatives. Natalie, of course, didn't care at all about her would-be son in-law, but he knew that Devon, Jenna's brother, had been friends with Jeff, and came by eventually, once he had gotten out of jail. Plenty of Jeff's friends came by, and a few cousins. He clearly had never been forgotten.

Derek crouched down next to the headstone of his best friend. He didn't come here, much. He tried to come every year, on Jeff's birthday; it was much too hard to come here much more than that, though he usually fit in a visit every three months or so. He always brought Jayden; only Jayden. Because, to him, Jayden was the only one who could understand his pain, when it came to this. He hid it well. To most, it would seem like losing his best friend had never bothered him in the first place. But it did. After high school, Jeff was the only true guy friend that he'd really had, until Cole came along. Jeff had been like a brother to him, and Derek had sort of idolized him for being so put-together. He'd been struggling through university, working part-time jobs left right and center, all while looking after a toddler. To Derek, Jeff was practically a hero.

And then, one day, just like that, he'd been gone, and Derek had found himself feeling slightly lost. He'd lost Casey, and now he'd lost his best friend.

But Jayden had been there, the only piece of Jeff he had left, and the two of them had stuck through everything together. He guessed that was why he'd never really taken anyone else here, with him. Casey had never questioned it, and he'd never brought it up. In fact, he rarely mentioned Jeff to her.

But now, it just seemed like she had been there all along, and he'd never really tried to talk to her about it.

He felt Casey take a seat next to him, against the concrete of the outline of Jeff's grave, but he barely noticed her presence as he stared down at the headstone in front of him, completely lost in thought.

"Derek?" she said, as the cold evening wind whipped through his hair, blowing it back off his face to reveal his pained and troubled eyes. When he didn't respond, she reached out, and touched his arm, causing him to jump slightly.

He turned his head, looking at her blankly, as though he had even forgotten that she was there. She gave him a nervous look, unsure of what was going through his mind right about now.

"Are you okay?" she asked, uncertain. Her hand let go of his arm, and he stared at her for another moment, before turning back to the headstone, sighing.

"You would've liked him," he said, no hint of emotion in his voice. "Jeff, that is. I think the two of you would've been really good friends, if he was still here."

She managed to smile a very tiny smile as she glanced at the headstone that Derek was staring at with such concentration.

"I'm sure we would've," she said, nodding her head. "From the way you talk about him, it sounds like he was a great guy."

"He was," Derek told her, looking around at the arrangement of flowers that he knew someone must've put there recently, for they were fresh.

"He had a way of making people laugh. He was a troublemaker, but it was in an innocent sort of way, you know? The kind of jokes that would make you laugh, even if you were trying really hard to be mad at him for it."

Casey let out a tiny laugh, sounding as though she was unsure of whether or not his words were even directed towards her, or just to himself.

"Sounds like someone else we know," she pointed out, her voice affectionate. "Goes by the same name. Ring a bell?"

"Jeff, yeah," Derek laughed, agreeing entirely with this idea. "He's alot like him, actually. More than Jayden is, really. Except Jayden looks just like his Dad."

"Jayden looks alot like you, too, actually," Casey pointed out. This was true. Whenever Derek and Jayden told people that they weren't actually related, nobody believed them, for Jayden looked so much like Derek, that it was impossible to tell the difference.

"Yeah, I know," Derek said, sighing. "Jay... I think that kid saved me."

Casey frowned slightly, wrapping her arms around herself to keep from getting cold. She was unsure of what he meant, and she was almost afraid to ask, but her curiousity got the better of her, and she gave in, speaking up.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, confused. "What did he do? I mean, he was eight."

Derek laughed, and glanced over at her to see that she was shivering. Without a word, he shrugged out of his jacket, and handed it to her, allowing her to drape it over her shoulders to keep herself warm. She thanked him quietly, and he went on.

"He was eight, Case, but... you don't want to know the direction my life was going in before I met Jeff and Jayden."

Casey remained silent, eager to listen to more. Realizing that he had her full attention, he went on.

"After me and you broke up, I was an absolute mess. I mean, I'd based my entire life around a 'we', and an 'us', and all of a sudden, it was just me. I didn't know what I was doing with my life, or where to go. I had to get rid of the apartment, because I couldn't afford the rent on my own, I wasn't going to my part-time job everyday because I was that fucked up... which didn't help me in my financial situation, I guess."

There was a slight pause, but Casey waited for him to gather up the rest of his courage, and continue.

"-that was where Jeff came in," he said, sighing. "I met him on the first day of classes, on the hockey team. We got really close, really quick, and when he found out that I'd been just staying at different friend's places every single night, he offered me a spot in his apartment, if I could pay half the rent. That was when I met Jay. He was only two, then, and Jenna had died when he was born. Jeff was completely on his own, dealing with losing his girl, and I was on my own, dealing with losing mine, so I guess we had alot in common, really."

"What was Jay like?" Casey asked. It felt weird to have to ask about her own son's childhood, but that came along with adoption, she supposed. She had missed out on eight years of Jayden's life, but Derek hadn't. Derek had been there since Jayden was a toddler, and he could fill her in on everything she'd missed.

"He was... playful," Derek admitted, laughing a little. "I mean, he was just like Jeff -our Jeff, I mean, only younger. He loved making us laugh, and he was always getting into trouble. By the time he was five, I had found my own place, but I still spent most of my time at their house. Jayden kinda thought of me like a father, or a brother, or something. We were super close."

Casey smiled as she sensed the hint of happiness and pride in Derek's voice, as he spoke of his past with Jayden.

"And when his Dad died, I figured that that was the end. Jayden was going to be taken away, and Jeff was gone, and I was completely on my own again. Both of his grandparents lived out of the country, so I figured I'd never see him again. And then they found those papers with the guardianship instructions, and it all sort of worked itself out. I couldn't be irresponsible when I had a kid to look after, and that just made me grow up really quickly, I guess. I owe a lot to Jay."

Casey smiled at Derek, running her hand along his back gently as she pulled herself up, and placed her hands into her pockets. She waited for a moment, giving Derek another few seconds to just think, before he sighed, and stood up next to her.

"Ready?" she asked him, watching as the faraway look in his eyes began to disappear, and was replaced with mere bravery. He had never spoken to her about the death of his best friend, and how deeply it had affected him, but now, she knew.

He nodded, holding out his hand for her to take.

"Ready," he said, and together, they left the cemetary.

* * *

**So the next chapter has something important in it, Dasey-wise.. :) Review, and I will post more. **


	8. Epiphany

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter Eight: Epiphany**

When Casey made her way into the kitchen the next day, Derek was already eating. She wasn't sure when he had summoned up the motivation to cook for himself, or where he'd even _learned _to cook, but there he was, fully dressed, and ready to go.

He looked up when Casey entered, still in her pajamas, and messy haired.

"Mmm... morning, baby," he offered, swallowing a piece of egg happily. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm," Casey murmered, her eyes still half closed as she stumbled towards the cupboards, reaching up to pull it open. She took a glass down, placing it on the counter as she crossed the room to rummage through the fridge for some orange juice.

"There's none left," Derek said, halfway through chewing. She glanced back at him, frowning; how did he always manage to read her mind like that? It was sort of creepy, but it reminded her that they really did have an amazing bond. They always knew what the other was thinking.

She sighed, turning back to the fridge, and scanning what they did have.

"Apple it is, then," she decided, shrugging as she pulled the carton out of the fridge, pouring herself a glass. "Where are you off to?"

"Work," Derek said, taking a bite of toast. Casey opened her mouth to question that, but he cut her off, knowing exactly what she was going to ask him.

"Before you say anything at all, I'm not going back yet," he said, and she relaxed as she took a seat on a bar-stool across from him, taking a sip of her juice. "I'm meeting with one of my assistants, to fill her in on everything that needs to be done while I'm gone. I told her I'd meet her for lunch at around quarter to two, so I've got to go to the office this morning and get all my files and stuff ready for her. We've got a few projects coming up in Alberta that she needs to know about."

Casey nodded her head. She had never understood Derek's line of business, since they provided film-services, but she always nodded, and pretended that she knew what he was talking about.

"Sounds interesting, Derek," she lied, taking a handful of cereal from an open box next to her. "Is Jayden up yet?"

"Mhm," Derek told her, nodding towards the living room. "He's out watching TV. You can go talk to him, but I've got to get going. I'll be home by four, okay?"

She nodded, smiling at him as he got up, taking the final gulp of his juice. He straightened up the collar of his jacket, and grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. He went around the counter, and placed a hand gently on her hip, pulling her to him in a quick kiss. She kissed him back, smiling as he pulled away.

"See you this afternoon, Case," he said, walking backwards towards the kitchen door. "Love you."

"Love you too," she called back, before standing up, and placing her empty glass in the kitchen sink, to be washed later. She wanted to go and check out what Jayden was doing, so she grabbed one of her sweaters off the back of a chair, and slipped into it, before making her way out into the living room.

Jayden was sitting there in plaid pajama pants and Derek's university sweatshirt, both of his feet propped up against the coffee table, and the remote in his hands. The sports channel was on, but it was clear that he wasn't watching it, since he was on the phone. He had the volume of the TV on low as Casey backed up a little, listening to whatever he was saying.

"Yeah, well I just wanted to call and tell you Happy Birthday," he was saying, and she knew then that it must be Kayla. "You wanted me to come over for dinner with your family?"

There was an awkward silence, and Casey remained completely still, not wanting to interrupt his phone call. There was a weird sort of look on Jayden's face as he listened to his best friend's words.

"Oh, Cameron's coming over, too?" he asked, and Casey could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Nah, that's okay. I mean, hanging with your family is cool. But when it's just me and you and Cameron... I dunno, I feel like the odd one out. I guess my two best friends dating isn't really something I'm used to yet."

Casey felt her heart ache for Jayden. Cameron and Kayla had recently started dating. The three of them hung out with a larger group of people, and there was really about six of them, that hung out on a regular basis. But Cameron, Kayla, and Jordan, were the people that Jayden had grown up with, and she knew it must be weird to watch your two best friends suddenly transform into a couple, leaving you out in the cold.

"No really, Kay," he argued, a hint of sadness in his voice. Casey watched as he sighed, pressing his free hand up against his face. "You and Cam have fun, okay? I've got stuff to do, anyway... okay, alright, yeah Happy Birthday. Bye."

With that, he hung up the phone, and practically slammed it down against the couch, groaning. Casey frowned at his actions; she wasn't sure what he was so mad about. But there he was, practically burying his face into his hands with frustration as he sat there in the aftermath of his phone call.

Casey waited a moment, as not to be suspicious, before wandering into the room, smiling at her oldest son.

"Hey, Jay," she greeted, and he removed his hands from his face, looking up to see his mother standing there. He forced out a smile, though it was more fake than anything, and he seemed to realize this, for it quickly disappeared.

"Morning," he said, sighing. "I didn't know you were awake. Dad's gone to work."

"I know," she said, nodding. "I was just talking to him. So were you just talking to Kayla?"

Jayden's eyes widened slightly, and self defense kicked in as he sat up straighter, flicking the TV off at the same time.

"Why were you listening in on my phone calls?" he asked defensively, folding his arms across his chest. "I've told you guys not to do that, and you just-"

Casey placed a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his sentence as he struggled to get it out. Realizing that she was winning, he gave up, and slumped down against the couch, glaring at her slightly. His glare was filled with defeat, however, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry," he murmered, shaking his head. "Yeah, it was Kayla. I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday, you know?"

Casey smiled slightly, ruffling Jayden's hair.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing?" she teased, laughing. "Wishing your best friend a happy birthday so early in the morning. I bet no one else has called her yet, except maybe Cameron."

Jayden's eyes flashed angrily, and his eyebrows furrowed together as he shot out an answer.

"Cam hasn't called yet!" he defended, his chest puffing out with pride. "I was first! She told me. She invited me over for dinner and everything, 'cause she said I'm like... like a part of the family, to her. Cameron was going too, though."

Casey decided to put Jayden's little outburst about Cameron aside for now, and just concentrate on the rest of his sentence. Deciding to address the matter that Jayden seemed to be articulately concerned about, she sighed, leaning back against the couch.

"So why didn't you go then, bud?" she asked, already knowing the answer, but not wanting to appear like she'd heard too much. "I mean, you never had a problem hanging out with Kayla and Cameron before. They're your best friends. Don't you want to spend time with them? Especially on her birthday."

Jayden glared at his own feet, clearly angry about something. Casey was beginning to sense that something a little more complicated was going on with Jayden, but he was a teenager, meaning it could be just about anything, really.

"Yeah, well, that was before they decided to go all lovey-dovey on me," he muttered, his voice bitter and cold. "Now, it's like everytime I'm around them, they can't stop acting all... all gross. I mean, don't they know how awkward it is, to just sit there?"

Casey watched Jayden with confusion, unsure of what exactly was bugging him so much. It wasn't the fact that his best friends were always making out right in front of him, and Casey knew that. Jayden had hung around with tons of sickeningly-adorable couples before, and it had never bothered him, to this extent, anyway. But there was no other logical explanation, to Casey's mind, so she merely nodded her head, trying to reassure her son as best as she could.

"I know what you're saying, bud," she said, trying her best to sound understanding. "Have you talked to them about it?"

Jayden snorted, folding his arms across his chest defiantly.

"Yeah, like that conversation would go over well," he laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Hey, Cam, think you could stop jumping the poor girl everytime her lips are within a foot of your own?"

Casey sighed, and was about to answer, when the phone rang, and Jayden glanced down at the Caller ID, rolling his eyes.

"That's Cameron, now," he informed her, sounding slightly annoyed at his best friend. "I'm going to take this in my room, okay?"

Casey nodded, trying her best to smile at him, even as she sensed how much was going on in his head, right about now. She knew that dealing with whatever was on his mind, along with what was happening to his brother, couldn't be easy.

"See you later, bud," she said, as he left the room, answering the phone call.

- - - -

"So you're absolutely sure that like, nobody in your house knows about this?" Ryan asked, sounding nervous for some reason. "Derek doesn't know... your, uh, kids... they wouldn't know?"

Casey gave Ryan a weird look, unsure of why he seemed to be some jumpy. She wasn't aware of her son's knowledge of what was going on, so of course, she was completely clueless to what was really going on.Ryan had been sort of jumpy ever since they'd arrived at the restauraunt, and she couldn't figure out a reason why he would be acting this way.

"Relax, would you?" she asked, placing her hand over his as he tapped it up and down on top of the table, as they waited for the waitress to come back with their drinks. He jumped slightly at the contact, and she frowned, pulling away. She tried to pretend like that hadn't happened, because that was the sort of thing she did all the time to calm Derek down. And Ryan wasn't Derek. She had to distinguish between that.

She reminded herself of her reason for coming; she had to tell Ryan that she couldn't lie to Derek anymore, and that it was either they told everyone that they were hanging out again, or they wouldn't be friends at all.

"Case," Ryan started, as he finally relaxed enough to say something. "I just wanted to say... I mean, before I get all shy and just give up..."

Casey froze, wondering what he was going to tell her that was so important. She hated when someone started a sentence acting like they were about to make some huge, earthly, confession.

But Ryan merely smiled, shrugging his shoulders as he relaxed his hands on top of the table, for the first time since they'd arrived.

"You've been a really good friend to me," he admitted, avoiding looking her in the eye. "I make alot of mistakes, and I can admit that. And most people just... dismiss me from their lives because of them. But I made a huge mistake with you, and you forgave me for it. I mean, I've felt kinda lonely since I got here. Cole and my sister are great, but they don't want me around all the time, you know? And I don't really have many other friends from around here; none that are free very much, anyway. You've sorta... I dunno, kept me grounded here, I guess."

Casey stared at him for a moment, privately wanting to reach over and smack him, yet the other half of her wanted to hit herself for being so cruel. How could she threaten to take away their friendship, knowing how much it meant to him? She was a kind person, and she hated hurting people's feelings.

Even if that person was Ryan.

And she hated to admit it, but Ryan had sort of been keeping her grounded over the past few days. She had Derek, sure, but it was hard for someone to help you with your pain, when they were dealing with the exact same thing. Derek could _relate_ to her, and Derek could _understand _her. He could even try to comfort her; but he wouldn't be able to do that fully, because he was dealing with the pain himself. What Ryan was doing wasn't exactly comforting her, but between hanging out with him, and trying to keep anyone from finding out... well, her mind had been kept away from the bad stuff, to say the least.

And for whatever reason, she suddenly found herself unwilling to tell Ryan what she had come here to tell him. Suddenly, she felt like his friendship actually meant something.

She smiled, but this time, it was articulate, and she nodded her head, sighing. It was time to be honest, for once.

"Yeah, your friendship means alot to me, too," she admitted, expecting the guilt to start pounding through her veins at that very second. Much to her surprise, it didn't, and she frowned, unsure of why her concious seemed to be okay with this.

"I just feel like... I dunno, maybe there's just some stuff that I can talk about with you, that I can't talk about with anyone else," Ryan said slowly, thinking out his words as carefully as possible. "It's like, you already know me, or something. I just feel comfortable talking to you."

Casey laughed gently, brushing her hair back over her shoulder as she nodded at him, knowing exactly what he meant.

"I understand," she informed him, to assure him that he made sense. "Don't worry. And you know what? You're a really great guy, Ryan. I'm glad I gave you a second chance, 'cause... well, I dunno, I think I'm starting to like hanging out with you again."

Happiness floated across Ryan's face, and she saw him smile as hope flickered through his eyes casually.

"Really?" he asked, barely daring to believe it.

She nodded, glad that she had made him happy over something, at least.

"Really," she confirmed, sighing. "I just think that we-"

Casey never got a chance to finish her sentence, because just as she went to speak, she noticed that the door had just opened up, and two people had just entered the room. She could've sworn that her heart skipped a beat as she watched Derek look around, laughing slightly at something the woman next to him had just said. She wondered briefly who she was, but then remembered that he was having lunch with the woman who would be taking over his work while he took a leave of absence, for Jeff.

He was smiling as he took his hands out of his pockets, looking casual and careless, like always.

But the smile on his face faded away within an instant the second his eyes fell on Casey, sitting there across from his enemy, Ryan. His eyes widened slightly, as though he didn't really believe it was her. But the look on her face gave it all away, and she watched as his look of disbelief changed to one of anger, hurt, and confusion.

"Casey?" he choked out, and it would've been practically inaudible, if she wasn't so concentrated on him.

"Case?" Ryan asked, waving a hand in front of her. "Case, what are you staring at? You're just kinda looking at that one spot over there, and it's sorta-"

He trailed off as he turned his head, and saw the murderous look that Casey's husband, his own enemy, was fixing him with. His eyes were widened like Casey's, and he paled as Derek curled his hands into fists, striding towards him.

* * *

**So reviews were sortttaaa slack on the past 2 chapters or so, and this one was originally longer, but I gave it a cliffhanger for the pure purpose of hostaging it, and because you all know I love cliffhangers! Review for the next chapter, which, as I mentioned, is pretty much already done:) Exams are over tomorrow so updates should be more frequent after that. **


	9. His Girl

**Just a little warning, there is a little bit more cursing than usual in this chapter, since emotions are... er, tense. Anyways, try to ignore that, and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the OC characters like Jay, Kayla, Cameron and Ryan! They're mine :) Though I am ashamed to claim ownership of Ryan. :( **

**Chapter Nine: His Girl**

Casey felt like her heart was beating out of her chest, she was that nervous. She hadn't seen Derek this mad in a long time. And she wasn't too sure it was a side of him that she'd want to revisit anytime soon. Derek was getting closer and closer to their table, looking like he was going to rip Ryan's head off the moment he got there. Ryan noticed this too, and gulped nervously, clenching his hands into nervous fists underneath the table.

Derek was only a few feet away from the table when he finally spoke up, his words directed towards Ryan, his voice angry and enraged.

"I fuckin' told you three years ago, and I still mean it," he muttered, his face blood red as he reached Ryan, and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt, yanking him up out of his seat. His eyes were flashing murderously, and he was shaking with hatred and anger as he practically lifted Ryan off the ground with one hand. Casey wanted to tell Derek to stop, but even she was afraid of what he might do if she so much as spoke to him.

His face was close to Ryan's as he practically spat in his face.

"You keep your hands off my girl, you hear me?" he asked, shaking Ryan. "I thought we had that much worked out. I clearly remember saying if you so much as looked at her again, I'd have your ass."

Ryan seemed incapable of words, right about now, and Casey understood why. If she was a guy, even of Ryan's size, she'd be scared of Derek. He wasn't that much bigger than Ryan, but it was easy to tell that he was capable of just about anything right now. There was murder written across his face, and he was visibly shaking with rage.

"You answer me right now!" Derek hissed, hauling the man closer as a few people at the surrounding tables stared on in amazement, shocked at what was going on. Thanks to the lunch hour rush, not everyone was paying attention, which took some of the embarassment of the situation away.

"Even my six year old son knows how to answer a question!" Derek yelled, his other hand gripping Ryan's wrist bruisingly. "Answer me!"

"Sh-She can make her own decisions," Ryan stammered out, fighting for a shred of dignity. "I didn't m-make her do anything..."

He had picked the wrong choice of words, that much was obvious. Derek stared at him for a moment, before releasing his collar, and shoving him hard against the nearest wall, his whole body overcome with hatred.

"I repeat," he said, as Ryan remained flattened against the wall. "You keep your hands off of my girl. I don't want to see your face ever again, you hear me? If you so much as look at her, I'll _own _you. Do you get that? I will _own_ you. I'll make you live to regret the day you tried to come between me and Casey."

Ryan gulped, his eyes fearful. He nodded slowly, as though he was just terrified that Derek would haul off and hit him at any given second. To be quite honest, Casey was pretty sure that, if they weren't in a public restauraunt, Derek would have Ryan begging for mercy, by now. Actually, she wasn't entirely sure that he was above doing that, anyway. He had always been overprotective, and she was almost certain that this was no exception.

Casey, who had remained practically invisible during this whole ordeal, released the lip that she'd been biting, and straighened up a little, not even realizing she had risen to her feet, at some point. She watched her husband nervously, her hands curling and uncurling around the edge of her shirt.

"Derek," she began, but he turned to her, his chest heaving as he struggled for much needed breath. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her, and he shook his head, pointing a finger at her.

"You... I don't even want you talking to me," he muttered angrily, shaking his head. "You lied to me, and you betrayed me. That's not cool, Case. Not at all. I thought I could trust you."

Without another word, he turned, and strode off towards the front door again, leaving his group of spectators in awe at his dramatic exit. Casey felt awkward standing there; she felt like some sort of cheap whore, who had just been rejected. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and her cheeks burned with embarassment as she shot Ryan an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and he swallowed hard, finally finding the courage to speak .

"It's not your fault," he assured her, shaking his head. "He's overreacting. You're my friend, and... and we're not going to let him control that, are we?"

Casey stared at him for a moment, really thinking about her answer. It would be easiest to just say that she was going to let Derek have his say, and that they couldn't be friends. That would cause the least trouble, she knew.

But letting Derek have that sort of power, especially when she was just starting to value her friendship with Ryan, it didn't seem right. So she shook her head, swallowing bravely as she backed away from Ryan.

"No, he can't control that," she agreed, drawing in a deep breath. "I'm allowed to have friends, and I'm going to explain that to him. But right now, I need to go make up with him. I'll pay you back for lunch, I promise. I'll be talking to you soon."

Without another word, she was gone, and she wasn't even sure what Ryan called out after her. She ran as fast as she could, out into the early afternoon sunshine, where people were still bustling around. She scanned the streets desperately for any sign of the sandy-brown hair that she usually associated with Derek. She thought she saw a few close matches, and she reached out, grabbing the arm of someone who looked sort of like him.

"Der-...oh," she trailed off, as she caught sight of the younger man's mistrusting and confused eyes. She released his arm, blushing. "Sorry, thought you were someone else."

Before the man could even reply, she saw Derek, the real one, striding off down the road, about fifty feet away. She gasped, and tore after him, not wanting to allow him the chance to get away from her, without having a chance to explain. Her feet pounded heavily against the sidewalk as she raced after her husband, the blood rushing quickly to her head.

"Derek!" she called out, as he pushed his way through the crowds, trying to get as far away from the restauraunt as possible. "Derek, wait up!"

When she finally reached him, she grabbed his arm, and dragged him into a side-alley, panting heavily. Her face was blood red from exhaustion, and she could feel her throat burning painfully as she struggled for some well-deserved oxygen.

"D-D-Der..." she tried to get out, but let go of his arm as she bent over, hands on her knees. She had been running so fast, that she'd seriously knocked the wind out of herself.

And however angry Derek was at her, her safety always came first. He didn't soften at all, but he leaned down, gripping her chin, and straightening her body back up. He patted her on the back, shaking his head.

"Take deep breaths," he instructed her, setting an example. "Really slow, there you go."

She took a few more deep breaths, until she felt some of the oxygen begin to flow through her steadily, calming her down a little bit. She was still shaky, but she managed to straighten up completely, giving Derek a serious look. He dropped his hand from her chin, frowning at her coldly.

"What do you want, Casey?" he asked, his voice laced with hurt. "You here to tell me what a jerk I was? Or are you just here to lie to me some more?"

She cringed, and took a step towards him, shaking her head.

"That's not fair, Derek," she said, feeling hurt. "I never, ever, wanted to hurt you."

He snorted, folding his arms across his chest pointedly.

"Yeah, I sense that," he lied, shaking his head. "So what? You thought the idea of you and Mr.Wonderful back there hanging out would just completely thrill me? I mean, ignore the fact that he has a huge crush on you. Ignore the fact that you're drop-dead gorgeous, and you've gotta be driving him crazy with that... ignore the fact that the last time this happened, he _kissed _you," Derek trailed off, his face screwing up with disgust and pain. "Dammit, Casey, I don't need anymore reason than that to hate the dude. And here you are, lying to me just to sneak around with the cocky little bastard."

She hated the pained look that was lingering in his eyes, and she knew that this had actually hurt him. She regretted it, really, but she'd had her reasons, hadn't she?

"I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you'd act like this!" she cried, motioning towards his angry and hurt state. "I knew that you'd get angry, and hurt, and-"

"Of course I'd be angry!" he hissed, slamming his foot down agressively. "It's Ryan! Jesus, Casey, are you stupid?"

"I can tell you're mad at me-"

Derek snorted, looking away for a moment.

"There's an understatement," he pointed out, clearly frustrated, and she tried to stay hopeful. "But even if you knew I'd be mad, how were you okay with lying to me?"

"Derek, you've lied to me plenty of times!" she reminded him, but she knew instantly that she had said the wrong thing.

"Don't you turn this around on me!" he spat out, disgusted. "I stopped lying to you a long time ago, back when it almost cost us our entire relationship. I changed, then, and I thought that you could show me the same sort of respect. But this has nothing to do with the past, so don't you dare bring it up!"

"Exactly," she claimed, nodding her head. "It has nothing to do with the past, which means that just because Ryan kissed me before, doesn't mean he's going to try it again. I think he's got more sense than that."

Derek laughed coldly, shaking his head.

"Wanna make a bet on that?" he bit out sarcastically, at which she rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Casey. But I'm a guy, and I know what's going through his head when he looks at you. I know what goes through every guy's head when they look at you."

Casey was getting annoyed with his strong belief that Ryan was such a bad guy. He wasn't as bad as Derek was making him out to be, and he didn't deserve to be judged because of the mistakes he'd made in the past. Derek had been forgiven for plenty of mistakes, so why couldn't he find a bit of forgiveness in him?

"He's a nice guy, Derek, and not every guy has a one track mind like you do. There's more to women than looks you know."

Derek scowled, clearly offended by her words. She knew she had been a little bit harsh, and she knew that he really did care about more than looks in a relationship. But he was being a jerk, and she needed him to understand that her and Ryan were just friends.

"Thanks, Case," he muttered, sounding hurt. "Thanks alot. It's nice to know you think I'm a pig who only cares about a girl's looks. Because really, I spent four years of my life torn up over a wrecked engagement over a girl with just a pretty face. Yeah, that makes alot of sense. Trust me, if it had been as easy as finding another pretty face, I would've. I'm with you for everything, Case; it's a combination of things. Your looks are amazing, yeah, but so is your personality. And Ryan? I don't think he knows you well enough to even have a taste of the real you. And I... I just don't want any guys to use you, thinking you're nothing more than gorgeous."

Casey bowed her head slightly. She knew Derek was really trying to look out for her, even if he was benefiting him in the long run. She wanted to be friends with Ryan, but she only wanted to do that if Derek was going to accept it. She didn't want to hurt their relationship in anyway. She found herself thinking that Ryan would never have reacted this way, but she pushed the thought away, knowing that she shouldn't be comparing Ryan to Derek.

"I only want to be his friend, Derek, that's it," she assured him, shaking her head. "He's a good friend, and I want to keep it that way, without having to hide it from you, or feel bad... why can't you just let us be friends?"

Derek softened considerably at the desperation in her voice, and his shoulders slumped slightly as he stared down at her, guilt creeping over him. He seemed to be really contemplating whether or not he should allow this, but he seemed unable to each a decision. He shifted slightly, seemingly uncomfortable, and Casey remained entirely silent, waiting for him to say something.

"Do you really want to hang out with him?" he asked, sounding as though he already knew the answer. "I mean, does having him as a friend make you happy?"

She looked up, seeing the conflict flicker through his eyes, and she slowly nodded her head, swallowing hard.

"Yeah, it does," she said, being completely honest. "And quite frankly, it hurts to think that you can't trust me."

Derek softened completely then, and reached out, placing one hand on her hip, drawing her closer. The other reached up to smooth her hair away from her face, and his eyes stared into hers, full of love.

"I do trust you, baby," he assured her, kissing her forehead gently, and pulling back. "I'd trust you with my life. I know you'd never do anything with Ryan. It's him I don't trust, and with good reason. You can't blame me for not trusting someone who made a move on my girl. You know you mean everything to me."

She felt herself soften up, and she bit her lip, allowing her eyes to meet with his softly. There was a need for reassurance in his eyes, and she knew what he wanted to hear. She really felt no shame in saying it to him, either.

She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck gently, and stared into his eyes.

"You mean everything to me too, Derek," she assured him, smiling a very tiny smile. "And you know I'd never do anything with Ryan. I love you."

"I know you do," he said, wrapping both of his arms around her waist as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, one that was filled with apology and, for whatever reason, fear.

When he pulled away, he looked her straight in the eye, still looking worried about something.

"I don't want to tell you what to do, I really don't," he said, and she was relieved to see that he sounded honest. "But I really don't trust Ryan. You say he's a good person, and that may be true, but good people do stupid things, too. It wouldn't surprise me if he made a move on you."

The workings of a scowl began to creep onto her features, and he sensed a danger zone coming up. Knowing what was best, he tightened his hold on her to prevent her from pulling away, and he rushed to finish his statement.

"But I trust you, even if I don't trust him, and... if being his friend will make you happy, then... I guess I can't stand in the way of that. I'm not saying I'm okay with it, because I'm not, and I want you to consider the fact that it's going to drive me absolutely crazy to see you around him."

She tightened her hold around his neck, feeling sympathy for him. She knew that giving in, and allowing Casey to hang out with Ryan, was absolute torture for him. She was proud that he could swallow his pride, and do something that would make her happy.

But however strong he was trying to be, his weaknesses shined through as he stammered out his next sentence.

"Y-You won't be hanging out with him like... alot, will you?" he asked, his words forced.

She shook her head, pressing a kiss to his forehead to reassure him. His eyes closed at her touch, and he waited for her to answer his nerve-wracking question.

"He's only staying for the summer, Der," she said, and his eyes widened slightly.

"The summer?!" he stammered out, clearly disappointed. "Are you serious? That's like, two months! Doesn't he have a job to do, or something?"

Casey smiled, rubbing the back of his neck gently to calm him down a little. She felt him shudder slightly, and she bit back a smirk at the effect she always managed to have on him.

"He can work from home, if he needs to," she informed him, and she watched his face fall. She softened, smiling slightly.

"Derek, relax," she instructed him, shaking her head. "You wouldn't know but he's a rapist, or something."

Derek's eyes widened, and she felt him tense up around her.

"Oh God, now you've got that stuck in my head," he said, his voice uncertain. "Thanks alot, Case."

Casey laughed, and leaned up, capturing his lips with hers gently. She pushed him against the wall of the building they were standing next to, and moved one hand down to press against his chest, the other still encircled around his neck. He was reluctant at first, and seemed to want to argue more about the matter, but his hormones won that particular battle, and he gave up, kissing her back urgently.

When she pulled away, he was completely relaxed, and he even managed to give her a half smile, one that actually seemed articulate.

"Relax, everything's fine," she assured him, shaking her head. His eyes were distant and distracted, and she laughed, pulling one hand away from his chest to ruffle his hair.

"You worry too much," she informed him, sighing. "Now, I suggest we get going home."

Derek watched her for another moment, as though he was unsure he wanted to leave things at that, but nonetheless, he sighed, and nodded, taking the hand that she had extended to him.

"Right," he agreed, forcing out a tiny smile. "Home."

- - - -

Derek was furious. He was completely, totally, and utterly disgusted with himself, with Ryan, and with Casey, and the worst part was that he couldn't even admit it. Admitting it would be betraying Casey, in a sense. He'd told her that he trusted her enough to continue being Ryan's friend, and that part was true, because he did. He would trust Casey with his life. He knew that Casey would never cheat on him.

But Ryan... Derek would never trust that man. He had tried to steal Casey from him before, and who's to say he wouldn't do it again? Derek felt almost stomachsick at the thought of someone attempting to steal Casey from him. He knew it would never happen, and that she would never leave him... but the very thought of it was horrifying to Derek. Casey meant too much to him for him to ever lose her.

And it was that very thought that was keeping him from completely forbidding Casey to see Ryan. She was his wife, and he loved it when she was happy. He hated the days that he happened to hurt her feelings, or disappoint her in anyway. He felt like she'd be mad at him, if he ever tried to stop her from doing something that made her happy.

That night, he was sitting out on the back patio, as Jayden and a few of his friends played soccer in the backyard. He yawned, taking a sip from his can of drink as he tilted his head back, tired. There wasn't much to do tonight. He was going to go out with Sam for a few hours, but Sam had to attend his niece's piano recital, or something boring like that.

He glanced down at the activity on the grass, watching as Jayden scored a goal on Cameron's net. Cameron groaned, pressing his hands up against his face, and Derek couldn't help but smirk. Out of all of them, Jayden would always be the best at soccer, and at hockey. He was a natural, in both sports.

He watched as Jayden high-fived Kayla, who was not that girly that she couldn't enjoy a game of soccer with the guys. She always just threw on an old t-shirt, or sometimes one of the boy's jerseys. Today, she had Jayden's soccer jersey on over her blue and white tanktop. It was huge on her, but she was having fun anyway. She was a small girl, and she had dark brown hair that always lay curly, past her shoulders. Today, however, it was pinned back off her face, so that it wouldn't get in the way.

Cameron, Kayla's boyfriend, and Jayden's best guy friend, was alot bigger than Jayden. He wasn't fat, but he had a slightly better build, and he was taller. That wasn't hard, since Jayden was pretty short anyway. He had blonde hair that fell around his eyes, in a messy style. Everytime you saw him with Jayden, you had to laugh, because Jayden was so much smaller than he was.

Derek sighed, looking up as Casey came out onto the patio, holding out the phone to him.

"Phone's for you," she noted, nodding towards it, and Derek quickly thanked her, taking it. He watched as she walked back in through the door, and he lifted the receiver to his ear, listening intently.

"Hello?"

"It's Ryan,"

Derek felt himself bubble up with rage again, and his gaze shot over to the doorway, where Casey shot him an apologetic look, shrugging. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew what she wanted him to do for her. He considered protesting. He seriously contemplated telling her that she was crazy, if she thought he would ever apologize to that jerk.

But she shot him a tiny, hopeful, smile, and he knew that he was going to have to.

"Ryan," he said, grimacing as he turned away from the doorway, after she had walked off. "Uh, hi?"

"Hi," Ryan said, sounding like this was the most awkward conversation he had ever had.

As though reading Derek's mind, he went on.

"Uh, I know this is weird and all, and probably a little bit awkward-"

"Alot, actually," Derek interjected, and Ryan paused for a moment, observing Derek's note.

"Alot, right," he agreed, sighing. "But, um, Casey told me about everything that happened after you left. Are you... are you sure you're okay with-"

"No, no, no," Derek argued immediately, holding a hand up. "I never said I was okay with anything. I hate you, and I hate the idea of you going within a hundred feet of Casey. If we were going by what was okay with me, you'd be in Sweden by now, bud. And I'm not talking about first class airline, I'd kick your sorry butt there."

Ryan was silent for a moment, as though he was unsure of whether or not he should just hang up and get as far away from this town as possible. But he managed to gather his courage as he spoke again.

"Don't think I'm gonna sit here and take all your threats, Derek," Ryan said, suddenly growing a backbone, and Derek's eyebrows shot up, surprised. Since when did Ryan stick up for himself?

"I'm not some whipped little boy, I can fight back," he said, his voice smug. "If Casey wants to spend time with me instead of you, that's not my problem. Clearly, there's a problem with _you_, and your relationship."

Derek's hand tightened around the edge of his plastic chair, and he pushed himself up, his hand clenching the phone tightly to his ear. There was so much running through his head right now, that he wasn't even sure where to start.

"First of all, there's no _instead_, got it, bud? There's me, and there's you, and trust me, if she had to choose who to spend her time with, I'd win. She just happens to want to spend time with you too, for some crazy, delirious, reason that I'll never understand. And secondly, I don't have a problem, other than some scrawny, desperate, loser that keeps chasing after a girl who is clearly not interested in him."

Ryan laughed at Derek's remark, as though it didn't bug him in the slightest.

"Not interested?" he laughed, finding it amusing. "That's pretty strange, because I could've sworn that she told me today she actually _enjoys _spending time with me."

Derek leaned against the ledge of the patio, glaring at the ground angrily.

"Like hell she did," he spat out, disgusted.

"She did, actually," Ryan said, and Derek tensed when he realized that Ryan sounded like he was telling the truth. "Believe what you want to believe, but those words left her mouth, my friend. Maybe you need to do a serious reality check, and keep tabs on your wife more often."

Derek wanted to punch Ryan. He was seriously starting to regret not knocking the little creep out back at the restauraunt, when he was just pretending to be some innocent, sweet, guy. The thought of his fist connecting with Ryan's face was so tempting, right now.

"If she did say it, she only did it to make you feel better. And she only meant as a friend, you idiot. Casey's got me, she's always got me, and I think I can satisfy her quite easily, thanks."

Ryan snorted, as though he didn't believe a word of what Derek was saying to him.

"Whatever, man," he got out, sounding bitterly amused.

Derek could feel his entire body shaking with rage, and he wanted nothing more than to hit something, that something preferably being Ryan.

"Look, you stay the hell out of my life, and I'll stay out of yours. Because at the end of the summer, you can go back home and seduce some other chick, and Casey will still be mine. You got that? I've fought too hard for this relationship to let some snotty little creep like you stand in my way. I'd do anything to protect Case from anyone bad, and you know what? That includes facing a god damn murder charge."

Ryan was quiet for a second, as though he hadn't realized how serious Derek was when he threatened him. A moment later, he spoke up again, sounding uncertain.

"So you're threatening me, are you?"

Derek smirked, turning around to prop his elbows back against the ledge again, holding himself up.

"It's not a threat, buddy, it's a promise," he said, feeling rather sure of himself. "So hang out with her all you want, but keep in mind that she's completely mine, and that means she's completely off limits to you. I'd never lose to someone like you. You're not her type."

Ryan laughed, though it was easy to tell that he wasn't as confident anymore, and that he was beginning to lose some of the steam that he'd possessed only moments before.

"We'll see about that," he said, trying his best to sound sure of himself. "Nice talking to you."

"Screw off," Derek spat out, annoyed. "You remember what I said, Ryan."

Without another word, he hung up the phone, and drew in a deep breath. So Ryan really was trying to get Casey to like him. And, wow... he was pretty sure that Ryan had to be the biggest jerk he'd ever met, aside from Natalie. If he'd hated him before, it was nothing compared to what he felt for him now. The confidence in his voice when he said that Casey'd rather spend time with him, and the way that he was so sure Casey could like someone like him... it made his skin crawl. He couldn't believe that Casey was so easily fooled by this dude. He knew that Ryan must just be putting on a good show for her, to win her over.

Before he could so much as process another thought, the screen door opened, and Casey came out, glancing hesitantly towards him to see if he was off the phone yet. When she saw that he was, she smiled gently, and took a step onto the patio, closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Derek," she said, trying to sound casual, though he knew that she was begging to ask how their phone call had gone. He didn't reply; instead, he stood there, staring hard at the surface beneath him, thinking.

"Derek?" she asked cautiously, and he looked up, frowning. "Um, how did it go?"

He took one look at her, and rolled his eyes, a dark laugh escaping his lips. It didn't even sound human, and he pushed himself away from the ledge of the patio, launching himself forwards. He stopped briefly next to her, pressing the phone against her chest a little more roughly than intended. She caught it, stumbling slightly as he shook his head, his eyes wearing an emotion she'd never seen on him before.

"You're really clueless sometimes, Casey," was all he said, before releasing his hand from the phone entirely, leaving her to hold it, and storming in through the back door.

She cringed as the door slammed, and the kids in the backyard looked up with confusion, to see her standing there, puzzled. Her eyes wore hurt and confusion as she glanced over her shoulder, where Derek had just disappeared to.

What had that been about?

* * *

**Review, and more shall come. Hope you enjoyed!**


	10. Options

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Ten: Options**

When Casey went back inside the house, about ten minutes later, Derek was gone. He didn't leave a note, he didn't say where he was going. He just left. She hadn't even heard him get into the car, or heard the engine starting up. She searched the whole house before finally convincing herself that he'd gone out. She had tried his cellphone, only to find that he had left it at home by what she could only assume was an accident.

For the first hour, she didn't worry. She returned to the backyard, and watched Kelly while she played on the swingset, making sure that she didn't fall, or anything. By the time the second hour rolled by, two of Jayden's friends had left, and Casey began to wonder where he was.

By the time the fourth hour rolled around, it was ten o'clock, and she was really starting to worry. It wasn't that it was late, or anything, but Derek usually would've called by now, to let her know where he was, or to tell her what time he would be home.

But she'd heard nothing.

Kelly had gone to bed by eight thirty, and at ten, she went back out to the backyard to see who was left back there. To her surprise, only Kayla and Jayden were left there, but she suspected that Cameron would be out front, checking to see if his father was there to bring him and Kayla home, yet. Jayden was talking casually with his friend as Kayla sat on the edge of the trampoline, her legs swinging back and forth carelessly.

"You totally beat him," Kayla was saying, laughing softly. "Don't tell him I told you that, though, or he might get sooky. But you're alot better than him at soccer.

Jayden blushed furiously, shrugging one shoulder absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, well... you know," he offered, knowing that there was no sense in denying that he was good. "He's better than me at basketball, so..."

Kayla shrugged, giving Jayden a playful shoulder shove.

"You know I'm more of a soccer girl, anyway," she said, and Casey drew back a little bit, not wanting Jayden to see her, and accuse her of eavesdropping. She tried to tell herself that this wasn't what she was doing, even if she knew that it was. She told herself that it was okay; she wasn't exactly listening to anything important, and he'd never know, anyway.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" Kayla asked him casually, sighing as the night breeze ruffled her hair gently. "We could see a movie."

Jayden looked up at her as he leaned against the trampoline, trying not to act too happy about this.

"A movie?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What, you mean me and you, no Cameron?"

Kayla gave him a weird look, as though she was somewhat taken aback by his assumption that her boyfriend would be going along with them. She dismissed it, nonetheless, as she answered him, trying to act like she hadn't heard the hope and excitement in his voice.

"Yes, just me and you," she confirmed, nodding. "Cam's going out of town for that basketball thing, remember?"

Jayden's face wore a mixture of excitement, but even Casey could see the change in attitude upon Kayla's last words, one of almost disappointment and hurt.

"Oh," he got out, bowing his head slightly, biting his lip. "So I'm like, the backup plan?"

Casey frowned at Jayden's words; it wasn't like him to act like this with his best friend. He was always nice to Kayla, and he had never questioned his place in her life over Cameron's, before the two of them had started dating. But now, all of a sudden, it was like everything was a competition between them. Kayla seemed to notice this as well, and she placed her hand on Jayden's shoulder from her place slightly behind him, squeezing gently.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Jay?" she asked, trying to sound more concerned than confused. "I mean, you're all tense, and you've been sort of moody about me and Cam lately."

"It's not about Cameron!" Jayden said, scowling as he jerked out of her hold, shoving her hand away from him. "Stop talking about the guy, okay? Geez, he may be your boyfriend, but I don't need to hear about him twenty four seven."

Kayla's eyes widened, and even Casey was shocked by the way Jayden was behaving. He was way too defensive for his own good, in this case. This was definitely unlike him. In fact, she would think that Jayden had a bit of a crush, but that thought was ridiculous. Kayla was his best friend, and didn't he have a crush on that girl in his history class; Kerri, or something? He'd never crush on Kayla; the very thought of it was insane.

"Calm _down_, Jayden," she said, laughing slightly. "Geez, you're worse than a PMS'ing girl, for crying out loud."

Jayden bowed his head, and she laughed, ruffling his hair a little.

"I'm joking, but you're adorable when you're angry," she assured him, smiling. "So what do you think? Movie tomorrow? I promise you you aren't a backup plan, Jay. You're my best friend, and I feel like I've been so preoccupied with Cameron lately that I've been neglecting you, or something. And I wanna make up for that. Is that okay?"

Jayden shifted akwardly, chewing on his lower lip as though he couldn't quite decide whether or not he should continue to hold his little grudge against his best friend.

He seemed to reach his decision, and he smiled faintly, nodding his head casually.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, shrugging. "A movie sounds good. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

A car horn beeped out front, and Cameron appeared at the gate again, leaning his arms up against the top casually as he grinned at his girlfriend.

"Chauffer is here... woops, I mean my Dad," he noted, and Kayla laughed, nodding at him.

"Be right out, Cam," she said, and she turned back to Jayden, smiling brightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Jay?"

He nodded, and before he could speak, she reached out and gave him a quick hug, and a tiny kiss on the cheek. She pulled away, waving happily, and she darted off across the yard, her hair blowing gently behind her. Jayden remained standing against the trampoline, his eyes wide as he gently touched his cheek where she'd kissed him.

Casey frowned; maybe Jayden liking Kayla wasn't as crazy as it sounded.

- - - -

When Derek finally got home, it was well past midnight. He came in through the front door quietly, knowing that Jayden and Kelly would be asleep, at any rate. He didn't want to chance waking them up. He kicked his sneakers into the closet, but kept his jacket on as he went into the living room, squinting to see Casey, who had fallen asleep on the couch, lying on her side. The remote was pressed into one of her hands, and the phone was in the other. She was clutching onto it almost desperately, and he glanced over at his own cellphone, which he had accidently left home. She must have been trying to reach him earlier, or was waiting for him to phone and tell her where he was. He immediately felt guilty, and realized that he should've told her where he was going.

He crossed the room, flicking on the light, and gently taking the remote from her. He moved quietly, as not to wake her, and he flicked the TV off, replacing the remote on the coffee table. He considered waking her and bringing her upstairs to go to sleep, where she might be more comfortable, but he realized that getting her up and moving her would just annoy her, at this hour of the night.

So he grabbed a blanket from the closet down the hall, and returned to the living room, spreading it carefully over her. After ensuring that she would be warm enough, he took the cordless phone from her hand, and placed it down next to the remote. Smiling down at her, he leaned over to kiss her forehead gently, and smooth her hair away from her face.

"Night, baby," he whispered to her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Without another word, he got up and started towards the doorway, reaching for the lightswitch along the way. His fingers had just brushed it when she spoke up behind him, her voice cracking slightly, since she was only half awake.

"Derek?"

He turned, his hand frozen on the lightswitch, and he saw her squinting up at him, disoriented. He dropped his hand to his waist, and returned to her side, perching himself on the edge of he couch. He managed to smile as she propped herself up on her elbows, struggling to stay awake.

"Hey," he responded, rubbing her back gently. "Sorry; I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay," she said, shaking her head. She reached out, extending her arms to him. "C'mere."

He knew what she wanted, and he leaned down, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and he felt himself fall backwards a little bit as he moved to hold her up.

"Damn," he muttered, and for one, brief moment, she pulled back, staring right into his eyes. It was like she was looking for something, something that she clearly wasn't finding in his eyes. She looked him over, her eyes nervous and fearful, and he frowned, giving her a weird look. He was about to ask what she was doing, when he figured it out. She thought he was drunk. He would've questioned it, but he sort of felt that she had a good reason to assume something like that, after everything that they'd gone through, before. Waking up alone in the middle of the night, after hours of him being gone, must bring back some memories for her, from that time of their lives. The fear in her eyes was probably here because she was afraid that angry, abusive, alcoholic Derek was going to show himself again, due to all the stress that had been put on him lately.

But she didn't have to worry. Derek had said goodbye to that side of himself, and he'd promised Casey, and himself, that he'd never go back to the way he was before. And he could never break his promise to Casey.

"I haven't been drinking, Case," he assured her, shaking his head as her grip around his neck tightened, her face right in front of his. "If that's what you're trying to figure out, which I know you are, then you can stop. I'm perfectly sober. I didn't go to the club or anything, or a bar. I'm not going back to the way I was before, I promised you that. You don't have to worry, because I'm never turning back into the man who hurts you."

She seemed to relax, and the fear in her eyes went away as she pulled him back into a hug, relieved.

"Good," she murmered into his neck. "Sorry... I just thought for a second that... well, you know. You were mad when you left here and everything, and you were gone for a long time."

He pulled back to kiss her on the top of the head, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Not going back there, again," he assured her, sighing. "I went to see Jeff for an hour or two, then I went to Jeff Walker's grave for a bit. After that I headed over to Ralph's for awhile. Nothing special."

Casey sighed, linking her hands together behind his neck.

"So tell me," she said, her voice not even the slightest bit hopeful, anymore. "How's Jeff doing?"

There was no use in lying, and Derek knew that. He didn't want to tell her what the doctors had told him, because it would absolutely ruin her, and he couldn't stand that today. Hell, he couldn't stand that on anyday. If he could keep Casey home for the rest of her life, so that she wouldn't have to be hurt by anyone or anything, he knew he would, because he couldn't stand to see her crying, or hurting.

And this would do so much more than that. Knowing what he knew would kill her.

"Just go back to sleep, okay?" he begged of her, releasing his hold on her so that he could brush her hair back off of her face. "We'll talk in the morning."

Her eyes flickered with intense worry and fear, and they widened slightly as she drew in a shaky breath.

"It was something bad, wasn't it?" she asked, and his silence told everything. "Derek, tell me. Jeff's my son, I deserve to know just as much as you do."

"I know you do," he said, nodding as she pulled her knees closer to her. Whether it was for warmth or comfort, he'd never know. He sighed, knowing that he had to tell her, and he had to tell her now. If she was the one with news about their son, he'd want to know. She had a right to this information, just as much as he did.

So he sighed, and prepared to tell her everything that the doctors had told him. He took her hand gently, because he knew that she'd need all the comfort she could get.

"Case," he began, taking a deep breath. "When I went to see Jeff today... I was talking to the doctor. He was in running some tests when I got there, and he, um, he told me something."

Casey's breathing hitched, but she struggled to appear strong, so that Derek would tell her.

"Go on," she told him, her voice pleading. "I can take it."

Derek stared right into her eyes, and he knew she really needed to know.

"The thing is... um, well... the doctor..." he trailed off, catching sight of her eyes again, and he found the confidence it took to finish his sentence. "-he told me that there's a good possibility that Jeff might not wake up. He said that it's getting to the point that they're doubtful he'll even-"

He trailed off, because she'd started crying. He'd known this was coming, but it didn't make facing it any easier. Her tears absolutely broke his heart, and all he could do was reach out, and hold her against his chest. He let her cry into his shirt, because he knew that she really needed someone right about now. Hell, he needed someone too. He wished, for one brief moment, that Ryan could see this, because it would prove that he was giving Casey something Ryan never could. The feeling of being looked after, of knowing that you were in the arms of someone who truly loved you, even when your hair was messed up and your eyes were red, and you were crying, and had just woken up. He still thought she was absolutely beautiful, even through all of that.

Ryan could never, ever, give Casey something like that, no matter how much he liked her.

"We're gonna get through this, Case," he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "No matter what happens, we're going to make it through this."

"How?" she whispered, her voice shaky. She didn't lift her head from his chest, so her words were muffled, but somehow, he understood her.

"How do people deal with something like this, Derek?" she asked, sounding broken and confused. "How can someone honestly face the thought of never being able to watch their own child grow up? "

"I don't know, Case," he said, shaking his head. "I wish I could tell you, but I've never dealt with something like this before. This is just as new to me as it is to you, and... I know how hard it is, not having him around. I wake up every morning hoping it was a dream, and it never is. But I can promise you that I'll be here for you throughout all of it. I'm not going to let you down."

"I know you won't," she murmered, sniffing. She pulled back, looking up into his eyes. "You're really amazing when you act like this, you know that?"

"Act like what?" he asked, reaching down to wipe a tear away.

She shrugged, a sad smile on her lips.

"When you... I don't know, get all protective over me," she offered, blushing. "You always make me feel a little bit better."

Derek smiled, kissing the tip of her nose gently, and wiping a few more tears away. Tear stains were left upon her cheeks, a reminder of her pain, but he ignored them as he combed a hand through her hair, somewhat contently.

"That means I'm doing my job," he said, and she managed to smile back a little bit, before allowing him to lie on his back. She lay on her side, her hand pressed against his chest as his other hand snaked around her waist gently, pulling her closer. He adjusted the blanket on top of them, knowing they wouldn't be moving from that spot tonight. She allowed her head to fall back onto his shoulder, before looking up at him, frowning slightly.

"Derek?" she questioned, her voice worried. He raised an eyebrow to indicate that he was listening, and she drew in a shuddery breath, before going on.

"What are we goinng to do if he... if he d-doesn't wake up?" she asked, and he tensed slightly, unsure of how to answer her. "I mean, did you discuss our options with the doctor?"

Derek nodded, closing his eyes to shut everything around him out. Mostly, he just wanted to stop seeing the heartbroken look on his wife's face.

"We've really only got two options," he noted, sighing. "We can keep him on the life support, and hope he does wake up eventually... or we can... we can..."

"-take him off of the life support," Casey finished for him, knowing that this was the direction he had been going in all along. She was silent for a moment, contemplating something, before she voiced her concerns.

"Do we have to decide yet?" she asked, sounding scared. "Did he say we need to start considering it?"

Derek shook his head, just as relieved as she was about this.

"Not yet," he said, and he felt her relax slightly. "He said to start thinking about it, but that he still wouldn't recommend it this early on."

Casey didn't respond to him, and he knew that it was because she had nothing to say. He had a feeling that this conversation was over, so he reached up for the other lightswitch above his head, and he flicked it off, sending them into complete darkness, with the exception of a small patch of light that was cast across the floor, from the streetlight outside. He shifted to get himself comfortable, and held Casey tighter to him. After a few more minutes, he heard her breathing get slower, and finally, she was asleep.

And with that knowldge secured in his mind, he allowed himself to fall into an uncomfortable, and uneasy sleep. Just like he had every other night since his son had been hospitalized.

* * *

**Okay so I got like under ten reviews on the last chapter haha. If you're reading, please let me know haha, because I like to know what everyone likes, and does not like, or where I can improve, etc. It helps me when I'm writing :) Thanks. Hope you enjoyed, and sorry about the slight delay. I was finishing exams, and then I had a slight case of writer's block, so... sorry :) Hope you forgive me . **


	11. The Sexiest Man On Earth

**Disclaimer: I do not own LWD, Tim Hortons, Wendy's, McDonald's, or anything else mentioned in this chapter! **

**Chapter Eleven: Sexiest Man On Earth**

Casey was sitting at the kitchen counter, with her hands pressed against her forehead desperately. Everytime she opened up her eyes, a sharp pain would shoot through her temple, and she couldn't take it anymore. She needed sleep, but Kelly, God bless her, wouldn't calm down long enough to go to sleep. Jayden was luckily gone to the movies with Kayla by now, and she had been thoroughly surprised that she hadn't crashed the car on the way back, she was in that much pain. Derek was off arranging some more files for his temporary replacement, so that she could start in on their major project, the one in Alberta. He was due home soon, and she couldn't help but be glad. Maybe Kelly would go annoy her father for awhile, and she could take a nap to get rid of her headache. The four Tylonel she had taken had barely worked, and she would've taken more, if there had been any left. She'd left a message for Derek to pick some up, but she wasn't sure if he'd get it in time. The Tylonel had made her extremely tired, and her eyes were only half open as her daughter ran barefoot into the kitchen, grinning.

"Mommy!" she cried, tugging on Casey's pant leg, as she sat on a bar stool. Casey grunted, unable to speak, and Kelly went on. "Cartoons!"

"Cartoons are on, baby," she reminded her daughter, grimacing into her hands. Of course the damn cartoons were on; the stupid cheesy music was doing little to relieve some of the pain her headache was giving her.

"Watch!" Kelly demanded, her voice cheerful. "Please?"

Casey groaned, shaking her head without even looking up.

"Mommy's got a headache, Kel," she reminded her, her voice desperate. "I can't even open my eyes, let alone watch a bright, colourful... oh God, even thinking about it makes my head hurt."

"Now!" Kelly demanded, jumping up and down. Clearly, the two year old didn't understand the concept of a headache, or she would've gone away immediately, like Jayden, and sometimes Jeff, would've.

"Kelly, please go watch your cartoons," Casey begged her, for everytime the little girl spoke up, her loud, high pitched, voice sent searing pain shooting through her head.

"Car-_toons_!" Kelly cried, and when Casey didn't move, she let out a loud squeal, whining. Casey practically dug her hands into her face, desperately wanting to just fall asleep then and there. She could almost feel tears in her eyes, her headache was that bad, and she was about to try and suggest Kelly take a nap, when she heard the front door open and close, and Derek call out to anyone in general.

"Hello?" he called out, and Kelly dropped Casey's pant leg, smiling again.

"Daddy!" she cried, and Derek walked into the kitchen, a couple of bags in hand. He laid them on the counter, grinning as he lifted the two year old up into his arms, spinning her around. Kelly giggled, and Casey tightened her hands around her hair painfully, yanking slightly.

"Ow..." she murmered, her voice wavering with what Derek could tell was something a couple notches away from tears. Derek softened, and kissed his daughter's head, looking her straight in the eye.

"What do you say you go up on Daddy's bed and take your nap?" he asked, for he knew she loved taking naps in the 'grown-up' beds. Kelly grinned happily, and nodded her head, squirming slightly.

"Okay, Daddy!" she agreed, and the moment that Derek had let her down, she ran off happily. Derek watched her go, knowing that she'd be back downstairs within ten minutes. Kelly was a very difficult toddler when it came to naps. She'd usually only go to sleep when she was told when she was really, truly, tired. He shrugged; he'd bought a few moments to help Casey out, at least.

Derek grabbed the remote off the counter, where Casey had accidently placed it, and reached in around the doorframe to the living room to shut the source of noise off. Laying it down again, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Casey still hadn't even looked up, so he came up behind her, his hands gripping her shoulders as he massaged her gently, trying to relax her a little.

"I got your message, and picked up a bottle of Tylonel," he said, his voice a dull low as he listened to Kelly's retreating footsteps towards the stairs. "You okay?"

Casey lifted her head off of her hands for the first time in almost a half an hour, and she winced at the light that hit her eyes. Derek cringed at how terrible she looked, right now. Her hair was messed up, her eyes were filled with pain, and they were slightly red. Underneath her eyes were bags, from lack of sleep, and she looked completely exhausted. He softened, brushing her hair away from her face gently as he placed his free hand softly on her cheek.

"My God, you look like death," he noted, and she groaned, tilting her head back.

"Thanks for that," she remarked sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes. "I've got a migraine, and Kelly wouldn't leave me alone, and the TV is on, and I'm so tired, and-"

Derek placed a hand gently on her hip, pulling her a little bit closer. He kissed her forehead, shaking his head to quiet her.

"You go to sleep, baby, I'll take care of everything,"

Her eyes lit up hopefully, but the hope faded away within a millisecond, as she frowned, shaking her head sadly. It was clear that something else had just ocurred to her. Derek tilted his head slightly, confused, and she sighed, looking disappointed.

"I've got to go pick up Jayden and Kayla from the movies in about an hour," she said, the very thought of it making her head hurt even more. "I can't just leave them stranded there. And the dishes have to be done, and Kelly's not going to go to sleep, and I've got to make supper, and I-"

Derek's eyes widened slightly at her long list of things to do, and he reached out, covering his hand over her mouth gently. She stopped talking, looking up into his eyes with confusion. He smiled as he lowered his hand away from her mouth, and shook his head at her, indicating that she wasn't going to do anything of the sorts.

"You're the biggest overachiever I've ever met," he reminded her, laughing gently. "You don't have to do everything for everyone, you know that, don't you? I can handle taking care of things for one night."

She raised an eyebrow, giving a very small laugh of disbelief and amusement at his words. His eyebrows furrowed together at her reaction; did she think he was that uncapable of basic household structure?

"Derek, you burn Kraft Dinner, you've done the dishes about three times in your life, the last time I let you go pick Jayden up, you forgot, and wound up falling asleep watching hockey. Not to mention you spoil Kelly senseless, which will do her absolutely no good in the long run. I'm likely to wake up to no food, Kelly on a sugar rush, Jayden will still be at the theatre, and there will be a stack of dishes taller than I am."

Derek grinned as he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers to shut her up completely. She considered pushing him away for kissing her for this purpose, but hey, the guy was a good kisser, after all. Who was she to complain? She pressed one hand against his chest as she kissed him back, and when he finally pulled away, he had to admit that she felt slightly more relaxed.

She bit her lip, trying not to smile at the sexy smirk he was fixing her with right about now. He was trying to break her down, but she was stronger than that, and managed to resist it. When she didn't look him right in the eye, at any lengths.

"Don't think I'm going to shut up just because you kissed me," she said, and he rolled his eyes casually, realizing that his plan hadn't worked. "I sitll don't trust you with anything that I've got to get done today."

He sighed, taking both of her hands in his, and holding them out in front of him.

"Okay, how's this?" he asked, giving her a serious look. "You go to sleep, because you know Kelly probably never even went in our room, and I'll settle Kelly down to watch TV. That way, I can't get distracted. I'll actually do the dishes, and... hell, I'll even clean up the living room for you, and by that time, I'll have to go pick up Jayden. I'll bring Kelly with me, we'll drop Kayla off, and I'll pick up something for supper on the way back. By the time we find somewhere that Kelly and Jayden will agree on, which could take a decade or two, you'll probably have gotten a good two or three hours sleep."

She was silent, contemplating his plan for a moment, and she looked up at him, allowing the hope to return to her eyes. She smiled at him, before standing up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Okay," she murmered, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you so much. You're the best."

Derek smirked, and shrugged as he pulled back far enough to look her in the eye. He tried to act like it was no big deal as he kissed her on the cheek, and pulled away.

"I've been told that, yeah," he informed her, and she rolled her eyes at his egotistical attitude. "I guess I am pretty awesome, aren't I?"

Casey grinned. She didn't mind fluffing his ego a little, when he was doing something cute. She ruffled his hair gently, her other hand gripping the back of his neck teasingly. He shuddered slightly as her fingers brushed along his skin, and pulled her a little bit closer, situating her between his legs.

"Yeah," she agreed, laughing as she saw his eyes flash with desire. "You're awesome, right. But you know what, Derek Venturi? You're also incredibly, completely, whipped."

Derek laughed, his arms finding their way around her waist as he gave her body a gentle squeeze, one that was full of affection.

"No, really?" he asked, knowing that there was no sense in denying that she had complete control over him. "When did that happen?"

She pulled her best thinking face, finding that her headache eased slightly when Derek was distracting her, like this. She still felt terrible, but Derek always had a way of making her feel just a tiny bit better, when she was sick.

"I dunno," she answered, shaking her head as she giggled. "Around the time you asked me out, I think."

"Nah, it was before that," he informed her, grinning slightly as his nose grazed with hers. "But if being whipped means that I get to keep you, then I'm perfectly okay with it."

Casey brushed her lips against his, but pulled away before he could actually kiss her. He pouted with disappointment, and she smirked, shaking her head.

"Yep, completely whipped," she noted, and allowed him to kiss her this time, as she pressed her body up against his. When she pulled away, he was grinning, and running one hand along the tiny sliver of skin between her shirt and her jeans. She shook her head, untangling herself from him, but he wouldn't let her go.

"Come on, baby, I wanna go to sleep for awhile," she pleaded, using her best puppy dog face. "I kissed you, hell, I even complimented you. Now you've gotta play nice too, okay? Oh let go, it was your idea for me to go to sleep in the first place. And you know how I get when I have a headache. I'm in a playful mood now, but you know not to piss me off when I hit the anger stage."

Derek realized that she was right, and he recalled how moody she could get sometimes, when she had a really bad headache. He winced, and nodded his head, loosening his hold on her. When he was about to let her go, he pulled her tight against him again, his face coming to a stop right in front of hers. His eyes scanned hers, and he put on his best sexy smirk as he ran one hand along her back gently.

"One more," he whispered against her lips, and he watched as a tiny smile broke out on her face, and she relaxed against him in defeat.

"I guess I could do that," she replied, and giggled gently as he pressed his lips to hers again. He dipped her back a little, making sure to support her back with his hands as they bent over parrallel to the floor. She gripped the back of his neck to keep herself balanced, and attempted to pull away from him .

"Derek," she murmered, between kisses. "C'mon Der-mmph."

Her sentence was cut off unexpectedly when he lost balance, and they went crashing to the floor in a heap. Derek managed to catch her in his arms, and he took the fall, landing flat on his back, with Casey on top of him. He groaned as his head hit the tile floor, and Casey shifted slightly, glancing down at him as he closed his eyes, slightly dizzy.

"Oh my God," Casey said, looking like she wanted to laugh. "Derek, are you, um... okay?"

She was fighting back laughter, and he knew it, but she seemed to hold enough respect for her husband to pretend that she was one hundred percent, completely, overwhelmed with concern. His eyes fluttered open, and he decided to have a little bit of fun with her. He squinted at her, trying his best to look absolutely puzzled, and he frowned slightly, shaking his head.

"Uh, who are you?" he asked, and he watched as the hint of a smile that had been playing on her lips completely disappeared, and the amusement in her eyes was replaced with shock.

"Derek?" she questioned, her voice shaking slightly. "Derek, stop that, it's not funny."

He fought back a grin as he propped himself up on his elbows, looking around.

"Where am I?" he questioned, watching as she began to panic. "This isn't my house, is it?"

She gripped his elbow, her eyes fearful as she hauled him up gently, running a hand through his hair.

"Derek, I'm serious," she said, and when he continued to stare at her, confused, she completely freaked. "Oh my God! Do you even know who you are?"

He decided that he'd tormented her enough, and he allowed a smirk to grow on his lips as he laughed, nodding his head.

"Of course," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm Derek Venturi, the sexiest man alive,"

She stared at him for a moment, completely bewildered, and then she realized that he was laughing at her. When she recognized that he was pranking her, her jaw dropped, and her eyes flashed with anger. She reached down, shoving his shoulder so that he fell onto the floor, hard.

"_Not funny_, Derek!" she cried, straddling his waist to pin him down. She held both of his wrists above his head as she leaned down, glaring. "Say you're sorry."

Derek smirked as his laughter tapered off a little bit. He didn't fight her hold on his wrists, and he merely shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

"If I apologize, are you going to get up?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she shrugged, uncertain.

"Maybe," she said, her voice smug. "I haven't decided yet."

He only grinned more as she tightened her hold on his wrists, thinking he was going to try and escape.

"Well I dunno if I'm gonna say it then, 'cause I like you where you are. I'm like a prisoner, but since you're holding me captive, I'm okay with it," he said, winking, and she groaned, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself away from him, standing up.

"You're impossible," she decided, shaking her head. "I'm going to sleep. You're making my headache get like... twenty times worse."

She began to walk away, and Derek lifted his head up slightly from the floor, propping his elbows up behind him. He watched as she walked away, her hips swaying teasingly, and he frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, Case?" he called after her, tilting his head. "You gonna help me up?"

She turned, laughing as she raised an eyebrow, shaking her head at him.

"Nope," she decided, sounding superior. "You can do that yourself, my friend."

Without another word, she sauntered off towards the stairs, leaving Derek to pick himself up off the floor.

- - - -

"Donut!" Kelly cried happily from the backseat, as she pointed towards the Tim Horton's sign down the road. Derek used his hand to prop his head up as he leaned his elbow against the car window, sighing.

"Sorry, Princess. We're picking up supper on the way home. Mommy would kill me if I let you have sugar right before your supper."

"Donut!" she yelled again, clapping her hands together. "Sprinkos?"

"Sprinkles, Kel, and no. Your Mom would say no, and I've gotta listen to her."

Kelly pouted, catching his eye in the rear-view mirror as he glanced back to see her puppy-dog eyes meeting his.

"Oh, don't do this to me," he begged her, shaking his head. "Please don't do this to me. You inherited your mother's amazing ability to sucker me in with that one. C'mon."

Before he could say another word, the back door opened up, and Jayden and Kayla climbed into the backseat, Jayden sitting in the middle next to his sister. Derek glanced over his shoulder to see that Kelly was no longer worried about the donut; she was too excited to see Jayden to pay much attention.

"Jay!" she cried, reaching a hand out, and Jayden grinned, ruffling the little girl's hair gently.

"Hey, kid," he greeted, leaning closer to her. "Keepin' outta trouble?"

Kelly grinned happily, shaking her head to indicate that she was, as usual, being a little troublemaker. Jayden nodded his head in approval, extending a hand to her.

"High five, sis," he said, clearly pleased with her. "You're definitely a Venturi through and through."

Kelly patted his hand, before looking back towards her father, who was still looking at the kids in the backseat.

"Donut!" she tried again, and Derek rolled his eyes, turning back towards the front of the car.

"No donuts!"

"I'd like a donut, actually..."

Derek glared at him in the rear-view mirror, shaking his head threateningly.

"Don't even start, Jayden," he said, his voice frustrated. "Casey has a headache, and I just spent the past hour...cl-... hold on a second. Cl-cl..."

"Cleaning?" Kayla suggested, from the backseat, and Derek pointed a finger happily, nodding.

"That's the word. Yeah, I did that. And I've gotta pick you guys up, and keep Kel outta trouble, and Case can't make supper, so-"

"Oh my _God_, you're cooking!" Jayden gasped, horrified. His eyes were wide as he put an arm around his sister, shaking his head in terror. "Kel, don't eat a single _thing _that man puts in front of you."

Kelly's head was pressed innocently against her brother's chest as she peered out from beneath her light brown strands of hair, her lower lip stuck out sadly.

"...donut?"

Derek completely lost it then, and he threw his hands up, hitting his head against the back of the seat.

"Fine, I'll buy you a freakin' donut!" he cried, finally giving in. "I've gotta tell you, you really are our kid. Between your win-at-all-costs attitude, and the stuborness, you're a perfect mix of me and Case."

Without another word, he started up the car, and turned to look at the kids, deciding that it was best to get supper requests out of the way before he started driving.

"Now, aside from that freakin' donut, what do you guys want to eat?"

"Wendy's!"

"You loser, you get the same thing everytime you go there."

"...donut?"

"Kelly, I'm already getting you a donut," Derek noted, wanting to laugh. "And Jay, Kelly's right, stop eating Wendy's."

Jayden sighed, shrugging.

"Fine, McDonald's," he suggested, and turned to Kelly. "That okay with you?"

She nodded, and Derek could tell that she didn't care less what she got for supper, so long as someone bought her that donut with sprinkles. Derek looked over at Kayla, who had been mainly remaining quiet during this whole ordeal, other than to call Jayden a loser. But, of course, that was typical of her. She loved fooling around like that.

"Kayla, you want some McDonald's?"

Kayla wasn't a shy girl, especially around the Venturi family. She'd been hanging around for five or six years now, and she knew that there was no need of being shy around them, because they were the most outgoing people you could ever meet.

But she often felt guilty or awkward when people offered her things, so she politely shook her head, blushing slightly.

"That's okay," she assured him, and Jayden turned to her, his eyes hopeful.

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. "You can come over for supper."

He turned to Derek, his eyes pleading.

"Right?" he asked, and Derek gave Jayden a curious look, wondering why he was so anxious. But he decided to save that for later as he looked back at Kayla, nodding.

"Right," he said, sighing. "You know we love having you over."

Kayla glanced from Kelly, who was watching the Tim Horton's sign eagerly, to Jayden, who looked hopeful, and Derek, who merely looked as though he wanted to get home as soon as possible. Reaching her decision, she nodded, shrugging her shoulders.

"Sure, why not?" she agreed, and with that, Derek turned back to the front seat, gripping the steering wheel as he began to pull out of his parking space.

"Right, then. Next stop-"

"Donuts!" Kelly cried, throwing her hands up and accidently smacking Jayden in the face. Derek laughed when Jayden clenched his fist, trying not to get mad, and he nodded, driving away from the theatre.

"Right, donuts," he agreed.

- - - -

By the time Derek got home, Kelly was absolutely, completely, crazy. She'd consumed her sprinkle donut in all of twenty seconds, a claim to her Venturi name, and she was on some sort of a sugar rush. On the way home, she'd hit Jayden, balled up the package to her donut and flicked it at her father, pulled Kayla's hair, and reached down to unbuckle Jayden's seatbelt five times.

Derek was outside the door to his and Casey's bedroom when he heard a crash downstairs, and Jayden's surprised voice cry out.

"Kelly!"

"Sorry!"

He rolled his eyes, knowing that it was nothing serious, if they were both talking. He heard chatter downstairs, and he groaned, tilting his head back slightly.

"Casey is so gonna kill me," he muttered, before turning the doorknob, and entering their bedroom quietly. She was asleep on top of their bed, still in her regular clothes. She hadn't even bothered to crawl underneath the covers. He knew that she'd been absolutely exhausted, and that fooling around with him for as long as she did had probably only drained the last of her energy.

He sighed, crossing the room and sitting down next to her.

"Case," he whispered, running a hand down her back gently. "Casey, wake up."

She stirred slightly, but merely buried her face into her pillow, groaning.

"I don't wanna move," she informed him, frustrated. "Go away."

Derek laughed gently, shaking his head.

"I bought you food," he informed her, and she lifted her head up off of the pillow, interested. "It's McDonald's, but that's what the kids wanted. I got you your favourite combo, if it helps. And by the way, Kayla's over. We invited her to supper."

Casey sat up groggily, lifting her knees up to her chest, and yawning.

"We did?" she asked, once she finished. "Alright. I bet Jayden's happy that she's over."

She smiled slightly through her fatigue, and Derek gave her a curious look, shaking his head.

"Why do you say it like that? She's his best friend, of course he'd be happy that she-"

He trailed off when Casey smacked his shoulder, scowling.

"Get a grip, Derek," she said, sounding disappointed in him. "Jayden's crazy about her."

Derek stared at Casey for a moment, but whether it was in disbelief or shock, she didn't know.

But when he started laughing, she figured that it had to be disbelief. He bent over a little, trying to catch his breath, and she rolled her eyes, grabbing the back of his shirt and hauling him back up. She figured a good smack to the back of the head would sober him up a bit, so she hauled her hand back and tapped the back of his head lightly, frowning.

"It's not funny, Derek," she informed him, shaking her head. "I'm serious. I think he's got a thing for her."

Derek was still laughing, but the look on her face caused him to calm down a little, and he took in a deep breath, a grin remaining on his face.

"J-Jayden, and... and Kayla? Case, you're funny, really. That's the best thing I've heard all day."

He seemed to think that she was joking, but she shook her head, frowning. Why was he acting this way?

"I don't suggest you react that way in front of your son, because I really think he likes her. And if you don't see that-"

"They're best friends, Case," he reminded her, shaking his head. "Jayden doesn't like Kayla. She's got a boyfriend, and-"

"Need I remind you that I was still dating someone when you told me you liked me?" she reminded him, raising an eyebrow. "Turns out I liked you anyway, but you lucked out on that one. Point is, just because she's got a boyfriend, and they're best friends, doesn't mean it won't happen."

"I dunno, I see them more as... as..."

"As what?" she urged him, raising an eyebrow. Derek's eyes met with hers, and he shrugged, blushing a little.

"I dunno, I always thought he sort of loved her like a sister, like you love Cole," he told her, sounding as though the idea was still new to him.

Casey pushed herself up off the bed, rising to her feet. Derek remained sitting, and she looked down at him, clearly disappointed by his lack of faith in their son's love life.

"You were supposed to love me like a sister, and did you?"

Derek's eyes darkened, and he glared at her, shaking his head menacingly.

"Don't go there, Case," he said, sounding fearful. "You were never my sister, just like I was never your brother, and you know that. That's not what this is about."

She shook her head, not really listening to what he was saying.

"Crazier things have happened," she reminded him, nodding towards him. "I think you and me are living proof of that. All I'm saying, is if he likes her, I'm proud of him. I think he has a chance with whoever he wants to be with. He's a teenage boy, he's allowed to have a crush."

"Not saying he isn't," Derek said, shrugging. He knew there was no use in arguing with her anymore, today.

Casey nodded, unfolding her arms from her chest, where they'd been resting for the past few minutes.

"Good, then we don't really have a problem here, do we?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow, and he shook his head, gulping.

"Nope, guess not," he offered, just wanting to end their argument. He didn't agree with her at all, but hey, if it shut her up, he'd just go along with whatever she said.

She turned towards the door, but stopped when she reached the dresser. The screen on her cellphone was flashing, indicating that she had missed alerts, and she picked it up, flipping it open. Derek watched her intently, still glancing over his shoulder, and he saw her scanning through her messages.

"Missed calls?" he asked, interested. She didn't even look up, and he frowned, tilting his head. "Uh, Case?"

This time, she looked up, and her eyes were completely distracted as she stared at him, confused. After a moment, she seemed to realize that he had asked her something, and she nodded, flipping her phone shut again, and storing it in her jeans pocket.

"Yeah, a call from Ryan. I must have been asleep, so he texted me."

Derek felt a chill run up his spine at the mention of that creep's name, and his fist clenched tighter around the blanket beneath him. He struggled to act calm and collective as he gave her a curious look, biting his lip.

"Um, what did he... what did he want?"

Casey smiled at him, though he had to wonder if it was forced, and she shrugged her shoulders, backing up towards the doorway again.

"He wants me to meet up with him sometime soon," she said, as though it was no big deal.

And with that, she turned and left the room, leaving Derek by himself. He swallowed hard, staring blankly at the wall. He was never one to be easily threatened, but he could admit, then and there, that he was scared. Casey wouldn't cheat on him, would she? He trusted her completely. But if Ryan was so determined to get Casey in the end...

_'No,_' Derek thought to himself, only half confident in his own words. _'Casey's mine. I'm more determined than he is to keep her. And I'm at an advantage. I've already got her.'_

With that, he declared the matter settled in his mind.

But yet he still found himself completely lost, and realizing that every bit of happiness that he'd had in him when he'd entered the room was suddenly gone.

And it was all because of Ryan.

* * *

**So this was more of a filler, and the Ryan drama is going to start picking up and spiralling out of control soon, as I warned you. By the way, in case you haven't noticed my profile, I have a new story, titled Into the Night, which I have started working on. I have some done, but I don't think I am going to post it until after I finish this one, because I know some people don't like reading too many stories at once, and I might get so caught up in one that I won't write the other, so... yeah. Anyway, please review!**


	12. Just Friends

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twelve: Just Friends**

The next morning, Casey was cranky as hell. Derek had even let her sleep in, knowing that she'd had a headache the night before, but it made no difference. Even with a solid twelve hours sleep in her, the woman was absolutely impossible. She'd snapped at Derek countless times, for anything from chewing too loudly, to leaving the remote up high where Kelly couldn't reach it. She'd gotten made at Jayden for not having his room clean, and she'd even been slightly irritable with Kelly, who had been whining for attention all morning. Derek knew that she had another headache, but that wasn't a good excuse to be mad at people who had done nothing wrong.

Derek was half afraid to go into their bedroom, where she'd disappeared to about a half an hour ago, after putting Kelly down for a nap. But he knew that she was just moody, and that it would pass. He didn't have to refrain from going into his own bedroom. He was a man, after all. Men stood strong against moody, and fiesty, women.

So he pushed open his door, peering in around the doorframe to see Casey standing there in front of the mirror, gently running the brush through her hair. She had a weird sort of look on her face, almost as though she was completely lost in thought, and she only looked up when Derek entered the room, closing the door gently behind her.

His eyes met with hers in the mirror, and he smiled faintly, taking a step towards her.

"Hi," he said cautiously, wondering if she was still in a bad mood. To his surprise, she returned his smile with a very tiny one of her own, and nodded a little, clearly in a bit of a better mood than before.

"Hey," she replied, before allowing her eyes to wander back to her own reflection. Derek watched her for a moment, before taking a chance, and coming up behind her, wrapping his strong arms protectively around her waist, hugging her to his chest. She laughed gently as he rested his chin on her shoulder, completely getting in her way. She nudged him gently with her shoulder, trying to discourage his affectionate hold on her, so that she could continue to fix her hair.

"Oh, come on," she groaned, her cheek resting against the side of his head. "Derek, I'm trying to get ready."

"Mmm, where you going?" he asked, pressing his lips to the base of her neck. He planted a small line of kisses along her neck as she responded to him.

"I'm hanging out with Ryan for a few hours," she told him, and he froze, his lips frozen on her neck. He closed his eyes briefly, before looking back up, swallowing hard.

"You're... you're hanging out with him today?" he asked, his eyes flashing with jealousy. "Why?"

"Um, 'cause he's my friend?" Casey suggested, frowning slightly. She remained silent for a moment, before sensing the fear in his eyes, and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Derek," she said, turning around to wrap her arms around his neck. "Baby, I thought you said you were okay with this."

Derek shook his head, his insecurity shining through clearly. He placed his hands on her hips, gripping slightly to keep his hold on her.

"Nuh-uh," he noted, wanting to set her straight. "I never once said I was okay with it. I said I'd deal with it, but I'm never going to be okay with that creep hanging out with you. I'm sorry, Case, but me and Ryan just don't see eye to eye, and that's not going to change. Be his friend, but I'm not going to even attempt it. We're completely different, me and him. And trust me, he hates me just as much as I hate him."

Casey shook her head, her faith in her sweet, adorable, Ryan shining through.

"Ryan's not like that," she argued, her voice confident. "I'm sure he likes you just fine. In fact, if you were to apologize for what you-"

Derek lost it at that, and he let go of her hips, reaching up to push her arms away from his neck.

"Hell no, Casey," he noted, sounding slightly angry. "You know me, I hate saying I'm sorry, but if I recognize that I actually did something wrong, I'll find the guts it takes to apologize. But to apologize for something I'm not sorry for, not in the slightest, it's not going to happen. I'm happy I treated him the way I did. I hate him, I really do. He made a move on my girl, and now he's just hanging around you again... sorry, but you can't force me to like him."

Casey folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head.

"I'm not saying you've got to like him, but I'll say this. You're being a jerk, Derek. A huge jerk. Ryan's changed, and if you can't give him a chance to show that, then you're just being impossible, not to mention stubborn. Considering all that you've been forgiven for in the past, I think you'd show a little bit of forgiveness towards other people."

Derek's eyes flashed with anger, and he stepped forward, clutching her wrist tightly in his hand, shaking his head furiously at her.

"Don't you _dare_ bring that into it," he said, his voice a dull growl. "Yeah, I've fucked up in the past, and yes, you've forgiven me. You don't know how thankful I am for that, and for the fact that you're back in my life again. Everyday I'm thankful for that. But just because I've been forgiven, doesn't mean I have to forgive Ryan for what he did. I've got my reasons, Case, and as whipped as I am, this is definitely something I'm not budging on."

"What are your reasons, Derek?" she asked, scowling as she yanked her wrist from his hold, glaring at him. "You've got no good reason, other than the fact that he kissed me. It was _three years ago,_ Derek. Three years! Get over it already, okay? Move on. I have, he has, and-"

Derek laughed coldly, shaking his head as he felt his heart clench. He wished he could tell her the truth, and tell her everything that had gone on during his and Ryan's phone call. But she'd never believe that perfect, wonderful, sweet, and amazing Ryan, would ever do something like that, or say those things to Derek. He knew she'd think he was lying to get his way, as usual. And he didn't want Ryan to have the satisfaction of knowing that he'd gained Casey's trust, to that extent. So he knew that his only option was to remain silent.

"He hasn't moved on, Casey," he assured her, shaking his head. "I'm not gonna stand here and argue with you. Go with your precious Ryan, and have a great freakin' time, okay?"

Casey's eyes flashed with hurt, and she shook her head, a torn look on her face. It was like her confidence had been momentarily wiped away, and replaced with uncertainty, and the confusion of whether or not she should really go with Ryan.

"Derek, he's... he's my friend," she reminded him, for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'm allowed to have friends. And you're making me feel like I'm being disloyal to you, for hanging out with Ryan. And I'm not. I'm not doing anything wrong, here. All I want to do is spend time with my friend. But it's sort of hard when you're trying to make me feel guilty about it."

Derek almost felt bad then, for making her feel like a bad person, but he couldn't bring himself to comfort her. He was still slightly annoyed, and hurt, that she wanted to hang out with Ryan, over him. What the hell did she see in that scum, anyway? He guessed that Casey was seeing the fake side of Ryan, the sweet and innocent side, but still. She was usually so observant, he had hoped she would pick up on his false front. But of course, she was picking the perfect time to be absolutely clueless.

"Whatever, Case," he said, shaking his head bitterly at her, his eyes narrowed with anger. "Enjoy your day with _Ryan_. Hope it's worth it. Have a nice date."

He brushed past her coldly, bumping into her shoulder purposely along the way, and she shook her head coldly, whipping around.

"It's _not a date_!" she yelled, sounding like she wanted to hit him, hard. "Friends! When will you understand the meaning of that word?"

Derek turned around abruptly, shrugging his shoulders as an icy smirk made it's way onto his lips. She knew he was about to come back with some clever retort, and moments later, he confirmed that she was right.

"I'll realize it as soon as it's actually true," he said, and before she could fit in another word, he'd turned and stormed out of the room, leaving Casey to stand there, alone. She listened to his footsteps retreat down the stairs, and moments later, the sound of the TV could be heard from the living room. She rolled her eyes, and touched her fingers to the necklace she was wearing. It was one Derek had given her about three years ago, on her birthday. It was nothing special, but she liked to wear the things that he bought her, since they were meant to mean alot to the both of them.

Scowling, she reached behind her neck, and undid the clasp of the chain with trembling fingers. She was visibly shaking with anger and frustration. How could Derek be such an idiot? Honestly, he claimed to trust her, but then he went and pulled something like that. She knew it was all because he loved her, but still, love could be a little bit annoying, when it came to Derek.

She tossed the necklace angrily onto the dresser, but then picked it up, flicking it onto the bed furiously. This way, Derek would see it when he came upstairs, and know she had taken it off. It was cruel, she knew, but at least he'd get the point that he was being a complete and total jerk.

Smirking happily, a tiny sense of victory in her mind, she grabbed her purse, and checked her makeup one last time in the mirror. She frowned slightly as a weird feeling floated through her stomach. Why was she so over-concerned with her appearance, when she was hanging out with Ryan? Derek was right on one thing. She sort of was treating her outings with Ryan like dates. She was spending more and more time in front of the mirror everytime she went out with him.

She pushed the thought away, for it was insane, and forced herself to smile at her own reflection. Who says a girl couldn't look pretty without it being for a guy?

- - - -

"I'm sorry about everything that happened with Derek," Casey said, for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour. "I really am. I didn't expect him to act like a jerk at the restauraunt, like he did."

Ryan laughed, his hands stuffed awkwardly into his pockets as they walked along the trail through the park that they'd gone to for a walk.

"You didn't?" he questioned, his tone disbelieving. "I did. The dude's way too overprotective, no offence."

Casey frowned slightly at Ryan's immediate agreement to her thoughts on her husband's reaction to their friendship, but she pushed it away, knowing it was true.

"Yeah, I know he's overprotective, but he means well," she told him, shrugging. "I mean, consider the fact that he walked in on you kissing me, once. You can't expect him to be all cheerful."

"Yeah, well... don't tell him I told you..." Ryan started, trailing off thoughtfully. "But I think he may be a bit too overprotective for his own good. Did you hear what he said to me on the phone?"

Casey shifted uncomfortably, not seeing where this was going. She had never thought to ask what Derek and Ryan had said to each other during that phone call, but she was sort of curious to know how that had gone. She prepared herself, giving Ryan a clueless look.

"No, I have no idea what he said," she said truthfully, shrugging. "But I'm sure you're going to tell me, am I right?"

Ryan laughed softly, and Casey could've sworn that he brushed his hand against her waist for the briefest of moments. She gasped slightly, an action unknown to Ryan at the time, but before she could question it, he had placed both of his hands in the front pocket of his jacket, shrugging into it a little bit more. It was a bit chilly out, and Casey too found that she needed to place her hands in her pockets to keep warm.

"Well I don't know if I want to tell you," he offered, sounding like that was actually all he wanted to do. "I mean, you might get mad at him, and I don't want to cause problems in your marriage again. Besides, I don't really want you to mention it to him, and have him kick my ass. That's something I'd like to skip."

Casey almost laughed, but she wasn't sure if he had meant it as a joke, or if he had been completely serious.

"I won't mention it to him," she said, not entirely sure that this was true. She had a tendency of flipping out at Derek and speaking her mind, if something was bothering her. But she really wanted to know what the two men had talked about, so she tried to will herself to keep to her word, as she waited for Ryan to answer her.

"Well if you say you won't talk to him about it, I'll tell you," he said, sighing. "I really don't want you to think bad of him, 'cause I'm sure he meant well, but... I dunno, he sort of threatened me."

Casey was silent for a moment, taking in this information. She didn't want to believe Ryan, and she didn't want to believe that Derek was capable of threatening Ryan. But he did hate the guy, and he was so intent on not liking him, and keeping him away from Casey. She shifted awkwardly, shaking her head.

"What do you mean, 'he threatened you'?" Casey asked, hoping that it wasn't the sort of threatening that was coming to her mind. She hoped that it was just some innocent sort of threat, though she somehow doubted it. The words 'innocent', and 'Derek', usually weren't words you would associate together.

Ryan pulled his best sympathetic face, and looked over at Casey as they took a seat on a nearby bench, along the edge of the pathway. Nobody else was really walking by that particular area, and Ryan leaned back against the back of the bench, sighing.

"He said something about hating me, and he said I'd better not try and take you away from him, or he'll kick my ass. He said I'm a desperate loser who's chasing around after some girl who doesn't have any interest for him."

Casey shook her head, giving him a little side hug. She kept her arm across his shoulders, and realized then that the could be sending out mixed signals. But she knew that if Ryan didn't understand by now that they were nothing more than friends, then he'd never understand, so she kept her arm around him, sighing.

"He's wrong," she said, and his eyes shot up to look at her. She noticed the slightly surprised and hopeful look in his eyes, and she rushed on, wanting to set him straight.

"Of course I've got interest for you," she continued, smiling faintly at him. "You're my friend. You've been here for me through this whole thing with Jeff. Well, Derek has too, but it's nice to have support from someone who doesn't even know Jeff. You know, soemone who I can just hang out with."

She barely noticed that Ryan had moved closer, and placed a hand on her knee, staring out across the pathway, and into the field that rested a fair distance off. Some kids were playing soccer there, and she could hear a few cheers as one of the kids scored. She smiled slightly. They were like younger versions of Jayden and his friends. They always went to that field to play a couple of games of soccer.

"You're one of the only friends I've got here, do you know that?" Ryan asked, sighing sadly. "I'm a hard guy to get along with sometimes, but I like that you looked past all that, even after I was a total jerk to you a few years ago. You give second chances."

Casey looked up as the wind ruffled lightly through her hair, blowing it back off of her face.

"Well, I've got to be generous with the second chances," she said, shrugging. "Derek, he's... well, I've had to forgive him for alot. I've never forgotten the things he's done, and there's some days that I remember the stuff he put me through in the past."

Ryan was watching her intently, waiting for her to continue. She knew that he loved hearing her say something remotely negative, or even neutral, about Derek.

"He hurt me alot, but he's made up for it, in my eyes," she said, shrugging. She saw some of the hope in Ryan's eyes die away, and she went on, ignoring his reaction. "I dunno, it's like... no matter how much damage he does... I'm still going to love him. I've loved him since I was sixteen. He just sort of... grew on me, eventually."

Ryan shifted awkwardly, before moving his hand from her knee, and placing it on the bench next to him, curling and uncurling his fingers nervously.

"Cole tells me Derek's your stepbrother," he said, and Casey felt her stomach clench nervously. It was such a common known fact amongst everyone she knew, that she never even gave the matter real thought anymore. She had forgotten to fill Ryan in on that little detail, but it hadn't even been a concious decision. She just didn't care about that small little inconsistancy anymore. Her and Derek loved each other just as much as every other married couple did, why should their parents being married matter at all?

She had to wonder if this little tidbit of information would affect Ryan's opinion on her, not like she cared. She didn't want to lose Ryan as a friend, but her relationship with Derek meant everything to her. She didn't care who thought marrying your stepbrother was wrong. They didn't feel the love she felt everyday.

"Yeah, he's my stepbrother," she admitted shamelessly, shrugging, and removing her arm from around Ryan's shoulders. "Our parents got married when we were sixteen, and we absolutely hated each other. Eventually, we both kind of realized that we were attracted to each other, and... well..."

She caught the look of utmost confusion in Ryan's eyes, and sighed, leaning forwards a little, her elbows propped up against her knees.

"I never saw him as a brother," she assured Ryan, shaking her head. "Just like he never saw me as a sister. We were sixteen by the time we met. I tried to have sisterly feelings for him, but it was just impossible, and... is any of this a problem to you? I mean, if you find it weird-"

"No, no," Ryan assured her, shaking his head. "I mean, by the way you're explaining it... I can see how... well, no. There's no problem."

Casey found herself slightly relieved, and she sighed, nodding contently.

"Good," she said, leaning back again. "Just making sure."

They sat there in silence for a moment, and Casey thought hard about everything that was going on in her life, right now. Jeff being in hospital was hard enough, but this whole mess between Derek and Ryan was just complicating things earlier. She hated that Derek had threatened Ryan. Ryan hadn't said anything mean to him, had he? Derek had no right to hate one of her friends. He couldn't control her life, or who she hung out with, and it was time he learned that. She found herself feeling a certain level of sympathy towards Ryan, and a small ounce of resentment towards Derek. She didn't want to feel angry with Derek, but she did. He was unnecessarily hurting one of her friends, and she didn't like that. Ryan was a sweet guy. He was understanding, and nice, and kind, and comforting, and...

She felt a chill go through her body as she realized that she sounded like some teenager with a stupid little crush. But she couldn't like Ryan, right? She was married to Derek. Liking another guy would be the worst thing she could possibly do. It was pointless; she was committed to Derek, through marriage, not to mention her heart. She tried to run Derek's name and face through her mind over and over again, but everytime she did, it would just lead her back to the fact that she may try and convince herself that Derek was the only guy on her mind, but yet she was sitting here, next to another guy, while she willed her mind not to have any feelings whatsoever for him. She didn't want Derek to be right, and she didn't want to turn into someone who did something that they told themselves, and everyone else, they would never do. She'd said she'd never like Ryan, and that he was only her friend.

So then why was it she was arguing with herself over liking him? She loved Derek. She tried to tell herself that; even if she had the smallest, teeniest, tiniest feeling towards Ryan... it didn't mean she didn't love Derek. He could give her so much more than Ryan could.

"Case?" Ryan asked, touching her elbow. She jumped, not wanting to make any physical contact with him right now. Her thoughts were screwed up enough as it was without having to fight off the mind warp that his touch brought along.

"Yeah, sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I was just thinking. I mean, what exactly is Derek afraid is gonna happen?"

It was a sad excuse for her lack of attention, and she half expected Ryan to call her on it, but he didn't. He shrugged his shoulders, blowing out a slow and patient breath.

"No idea," he said, his voice confused. "Maybe he's jealous."

Casey looked Ryan right in the eye, frowning slightly.

"Jealous of what?" she whispered, her eyes filled with desperation, and a need for reassurance. "I mean... me and you, we're just friends, right?"

She wanted him to say yes. She needed him to say yes, because then she could feel the relief float through her, which would mean that she didn't want anything more with Ryan. She didn't bother to think that, if she actually needed confirmation, it was already a lost cause.

But Ryan looked her square in the eye, his own eyes serious and puzzled, though by no means utterly confused.

"You tell me," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Her heart clenched, and she waited... for some sort of a sign. She wanted to be able to tell him no, and she wanted to be able to tell him that they were just friends. But she knew that, however small her feelings were, they were there, and she couldn't fight them away. She was just about to tell him the truth, that maybe there was something there, but it could never happen. She'd never let it happen.

But as the children on the field across from them gave another whoop of joy, as another goal was scored, Jayden's face popped into her mind, followed immediately by Jeff's, and Kelly's. And then there was Derek's They were her family, her home. And her love for Derek, it was stronger than ever. And she felt stupid for even considering that Ryan could give her anything special. Derek was the most amazing guy she'd ever met.

Besides, she'd never do that sort of thing to her family.

So she nodded her head, swallowing hard.

"Yeah, we're just friends," she agreed, still not feeling entirely sure of herself. But she told herself that she'd force the feelings out of herself, it that's what it took.

Ryan's eyes locked with hers, and he watched her for a moment. She could've sworn that hurt or disappointment was playing in his eyes, right about now, but she was so confused by her own emotions, that she was in no rightful place to judge anyone else's.

* * *

**Don't kill me. Eep. Review, and I will update. :) **


	13. Hurtful Words

**This is a long chapter, but it needed to be long, because there was alot to fit into it. Stick with me here, haha. I didn't want to divide it into one regular length chapter, and one really short one, so this was the result of that. **

**Disclaimer: I sadly own nothing. **

**Chapter Thirteen: Hurtful Words**

When Casey got home, it was suppertime. Somehow, Derek had actually managed to cook a meal without burning himself, the food, or the kids. She actually had to admit that she was proud of him. It was no five star meal, of course. He'd made some hot-dogs, and had some chips there for him and Jayden, to have what he liked to call a 'manly meal'. He'd left some fruit there for Casey, knowing she wouldn't eat potato chips with her supper, and he'd gotten a bowl of ice-cream for Kelly. It wasn't exactly healthy, especially following their supper from McDonald's the night before, but it was supper, nonetheless.

She got back to the house just as Derek was lowering Kelly into her high-chair. She rushed into the room, throwing her coat and bag down on the counter, forcing a smile as Jayden looked up at her from his spot. His hand was frozen on the bag of chips, and he had a worried look in his eyes. Derek looked up, though it was hard to turn his head when Kelly wouldn't let go of his neck, and they stared at each other for a moment. It was as though the argument from earlier was lingering in both of their minds.

And then, the moment Kelly let go of his neck, he looked away, completely ignoring her. He took a seat at the table, reaching violently for the bottle of ketchup. Casey slowly made her way to the table, sliding into her seat, and smiling at her daughter, the only one at the table who wasn't treating her as though she'd committed some sort of mortal sin.

"Hey, baby," she said to Kelly, who was poking at the pieces of meat on her plate. She had the bun set aside seperately, because it was too big to fit into her mouth all at once. Derek had the hot dog itself cut up into tiny pieces, so she wouldn't choke. She looked up at her mother, and smiled a toothy grin, waving one hand happily.

"Hi, Mommy!" Kelly greeted, before returning to her food. She picked up a piece of meat between her thumb, and middle finger, examining it carelessly. Casey felt her heart warm for her daughter, and she bit back a smile. Children were so clueless. You shower them with love and affection, and they'll automatically love you back, even if everyone else around you is treating you like some sort of monster.

As this thought crossed her mind, she looked around the table from Derek to Jayden, scowling as she grabbed the bottle of ketchup from where Derek had just laid it down.

"Glad to know someone missed me while I was gone," she offered, her voice cold. "God forbid one of you even utter a hello."

Jayden blushed, and guilt flickered across his face. He was at a stubborn stage, and he may be angry with Casey for hanging around with Ryan, which he knew was where she must have gone, but he didn't like making her feel bad. She was his mother, and he didn't like hurting her. So he smiled articulately, and rolled his eyes playfully.

"Sorry," he offered, grabbing a chip off of his plate. "Hi, Mom."

Casey smiled back, nodding in return, and her heart skipped a beat as she turned to Derek, who was slouched down in his seat, skillfully doing his very best to ignore her. He was carefully aligning mustard along his hot-dog, doing whatever he could to avoid looking her in the eye. She was still angry with him, maybe now more than before, after what Ryan had told her, but she didn't exactly want him to ignore her, especially in front of their kids. So she sighed, knowing that she could suck it up for Jayden and Kelly's sake.

"Derek?" she questioned, and he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow just as he had straightened up, raising his hot-dog to his mouth. He gave her a look that clearly stated '_What do you want?'_, as he waited impatiently to take a bite of his food. She sighed, knowing that a hungry Derek was ten times more difficult to get along with than a regular Derek was.

"Are you even going to say hi to me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Or are you just going to pretend I'm non-exsistant, or something?"

Derek blinked at her, as though her words hadn't even reached his ears. Not breaking eye contact, he brought his food to his mouth and took a bite, acting as though she hadn't even spoken, or her words were worthless to him. Smirking coldly, he returned his gaze to the table, completely ignoring her. She stared at him for a moment, hurt, before pushing her chair back, and standing up angrily.

"You know what?" she snapped, feeling her entire body shaking with frustration and anger, for the second time that day. "If you want to act like I don't even exsist, then I might as well not even stay here. I'll just go upstairs by myself."

She waited for him to say something, to apologize, or at least tell her to sit down, that he wanted her there. She wanted to know that he wasn't mad at her, even if she was still mad at him. But he did nothing of the sorts; he merely shrugged, and continued to stuff food into his mouth. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes; only a man would be this much of an idiot.

"Fine," she said, pushing her untouched plate towards the center of the table. She started to walk away, but when she heard Derek snort behind her, trying to act unphased by her reaction, she whirled around, and grabbed the hot-dog off of her plate. She threw it towards him, aiming for his plate, but hitting his chest.

"Take it, you pig," she snapped, on the verge of tears. She hated when he acted like the old Derek. Like the Derek she had first met, when they were just stepsiblings. Usually, Derek was completely amazing to her, but when he got really mad, or jealous, he could quite easily become the world's most arrogant pig. And right now, he was being exactly that.

Jayden, who was looking back and forth between Derek and Casey, fear and anxiety in his eyes, frowned, finally settling his eyes upon Casey. It was clear to him that she needed more comfort than Derek did, right about now.

"Mom," he started, but Derek laughed coldly, shaking his head.

"No, Jay," he said, as he chewed. Casey rolled her eyes with disgust, but listened to his harsh words. "Let her go. She can skip supper with her family so that she can call Ryan. Who cares?"

Jayden's eyes were a mix of surprise, and fear. He clearly hadn't known that Derek was aware that Ryan was back in town. There had been alot he had missed out on, but he knew that he couldn't let on that he knew who Ryan was, because then he'd have to admit to eavesdropping and interfering. And although Derek probably wouldn't mind, Casey would. And he didn't really want to disappoint her, or get into trouble.

Casey's eyes were welled up with tears, by now. It wasn't that his words were even that cruel or harsh. But she had put up with so much lately, and her emotions were so out of whack already, that she couldn't take anymore of this craziness. Everything was out of order in her life, and if there was one thing she could usually count on, it was Derek being his usual, sweet, self. But not today.

She backed up a little, trying desperately to fight back her tears. She knew that he'd know he'd gotten to her, if she cried. She raised a hand to her cheek, wiping away the one that had escaped.

"Derek, you really are a cruel jerk, sometimes!" she yelled, not even bothering to remember that their kids were right there in front of her.

He laughed, shaking his head as he shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn't care.

"And you're really annoying, most of the time," he noted, feeling terrible for saying these things to her. But Derek was in defensive mode, and he was desperately sooky over Casey spending time with Ryan.

She glared at him, shaking with anger, and he watched as her face turned red.

"Do you even care that you're hurting my feelings?" she yelled, shaking her head at him with disbelief.

Derek placed his food back down on his plate, brushing crumbs off of his shirt aimlessly, letting them tumble to the floor, bit by bit.

"At the moment, no. Just like you don't care that you're turning into some sort of whor-"

He stopped abruptly when he realized that this was a bit too cruel to say to her, but she knew. She knew what he was going to say, and so did he. Hell, even Jayden knew what he had been about to say to her. He was old enough to understand most things that they talked about, even if he didn't always fully agree with them. He bowed his head and remained silent as Casey's jaw dropped, and he stared at a quickly retreating Casey with embarassment and remorse.

"Case,"

She shook her head at him, stumbling backwards towards the doorway.

"No, I know what you were going to call me," she said, her voice laced with anger, confusion, and hurt. "And you know what? It's times like this that I really hate you, Derek."

His head snapped up, and his eyes locked with hers in one glistening connection. She didn't stay long enough to see the pain and hurt that filled his eyes. She was gone by that time. She turned around and flew out of the room, running as fast as she could towards their bedroom. When she got there, she collapsed onto the bed, and all that could be heard downstairs was the slam of the door from above.

- - - -

Three hours later, Casey still hadn't come downstairs. They hadn't heard a sound from her room, and Derek had to admit that he was worried. She could get really mad at him, but usually, it didn't last this long. Usually, she'd come out of her room after about an hour, and kiss him, or apologize. Hell, he wouldn't even mind if she came out and completely ignored him. He just needed to know she was okay.

He was sitting in an armchair in the living room, watching TV, but his mind kept wandering to Casey, upstairs, alone. He hadn't meant to hurt her so much, but she'd hurt him too. Going out with Ryan when she knew it absolutely killed him, and saying she hated him, were things that hurt him just as badly. In fact hearing her say she hated him was a hundred times worse. Those words stabbed at his heart, pierced at his emotions, and he knew that practically nothing could outdo those words. They were torture. It was hard to hear the girl that he loved and cared for claim that she hated him. He may have deserved it, after all he'd said to her himself, but that didn't make it any easier to face.

Jayden had gone up to his room right after supper, not saying a word to anyone, and Derek had put Kelly to bed about twenty minutes before. The TV was on, but he had to admit that he felt pretty bored, and pretty lonely. He wasn't as mad at Casey anymore, and he felt like he wanted her there, right now. He wasn't really completely over their fight, but he at least wanted to talk it out.

He was just contemplating swallowing his dignity and going upstairs to apologize, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up hopefully, but was disappointed when it was only Jayden who emerged, his hair all messed up. Derek sighed, turning back to the TV with disappointment. He loved Jayden and all, but he loved Casey too, and as mad as he was, he wanted to make things right with her.

Yeah, he was so whipped.

Jayden came into the living room, flopping down onto the couch, exhaling loudly. Derek glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow at his apparant frustration, but when Jayden continued to pout at the floor, he shrugged, and turned back to the TV. If the kid wasn't going to talk, he sure as hell wasn't going to force it out of him. He hated having to deal with emotions, unless absolutely necessary, and this was one of those cases that he could avoid it, unless Jayden brought it up.

His eyes had only been fixed on the TV for all of two seconds when Jayden shot straight up in his seat, glaring at Derek.

"Don't you know what an exhilerated sigh means? It means I've got something on my mind! Fix me!"

Derek blinked at him a few times, before turning off the TV, and sighing. He leaned back slightly, pretending to look one hundred percent concerned.

"Sorry, I didn't know there was a difference between a regular sigh, and an exhilerated one," he pointed out, shaking his head. "But go on then, tell me. What do I need to fix?"

Jayden fidgeted with his hands nervously, and it was obvious to Derek that he was nervous about whatever it was he had to say.

"Okay, so, hypothetically... say if... I dunno, this guy liked this girl,"

"-you, liking Kayla?" Derek suggested, but either Jayden did not hear him, or chose to ignore him.

"-and he'd been friends with this girl for a really long time."

"Wow," Derek mused, grinning. "Sort of like you've known Kayla for a long time?"

"-and this girl was going out with the guy's best friend... so he couldn't really make a move..."

"Well, I can't say I agree with that, no," Derek said, shaking his head. He knew he was still being ignored, but hey, venting to yourself could be amusing sometimes, in Derek's world anyways.

Jayden finally realized that Derek had been talking to him, and he looked up at his father, frowning slightly. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he recognized that he was being mocked.

"What are you talking about?" he questioned, shaking his head as his cheeks blushed red. "I don't like Kayla. I mean sure, we've been friends for a long time, and she's dating my other best friend, and... um, it may seem ironic that all of those pieces just fit together, but... no, I don't like Kayla."

Derek laughed, turning towards the TV. He knew just what to do to get Jayden to confess anything.

"Sweet," he said, shrugging as he reached for the remote contently. "That means I won. Case thought you liked her, and I said it was completely ridiculous. But, as usual, I was right and she was wrong. Thanks to you, I can rub my victory in her face, and watch TV as I do it. Thank you."

His hand had just closed over the remote when Jayden leaned forwards, just as Derek had known he would, and he snatched the remote away from Derek, clutching it against his chest. Derek smirked as he lay back down, knowing that he had just caught Jayden's interest, and he waited, stretching his hands out behind his neck. Realization flickered through the teenager's eyes, and he seemed to realize that he'd been tricked, but he didn't seem to care as he sighed, pushing the thought away.

"Why is the idea of me liking Kayla so ridiculous to you?" he asked, sounding slightly offended. "I mean, it could happen, right? Casey's not, totally... uh, insane."

Derek laughed, reaching for a handful of peanuts from the dish on the coffee table. He popped one into his mouth, shrugging.

"Well, she is. But I need you to tell me one little detail. And I need you to answer it as honestly as you possibly can."

Jayden nodded, biting down on his lower lip as he waited for Derek to ask the question. Taking a deep breath, Derek voiced his thoughts.

"Do you like Kayla?" he asked, fighting back laughter. "I mean, you can tell me if you do. I'm a guy, I've been there."

"Were you ever in a situation like this?" Jayden asked, half interested, and half trying to avoid the question at hand. Derek knew this, but decided it was best to just go along with whatever he was saying.

"Actually, I was," he admitted, shrugging. "Casey... she went out with Sam. I liked her, obviously, but I couldn't really say anything, given my... uh, situation. Nobody knew I liked her back then, so I just had to stand back and watch my best friend take the one girl I really wanted."

Jayden frowned, as though something wasn't fitting into place with Derek's story.

"So, you were okay with just... losing?" he asked, his face scrunched up in disbelief. He shook his head, laughing slightly. "I don't buy it. Derek Venturi never accepts defeat... unless you're fighting with Mom."

Derek laughed, remembering how hard he had tried to keep Casey and Sam apart, back in high school.

"I wasn't okay with it, not at all," he admitted, sighing sadly. "I did everything in my power to keep them from going out, and to be quite honest, I was a total jerk about it. In the end, I hurt my best friend, I hurt Casey, and I knew I had to do the right thing. I wasn't okay with two of the people I cared about suffering, because of me. So... I just let them be together. Luckily for me, everything worked out to my advantage in the end, obviously. Since, you know, Casey's mine."

Jayden's mind flashed briefly to the text messages and missed alerts that he'd been constantly deleting over the past few days, and he felt his stomach turn unpleasantly. He didn't even like thinking about that creep, Ryan. Besides, he knew this was the last thing Derek would want to talk about, so he merely nodded, indicating that Derek was right. He was hoping that he was off the hook for the question that Derek had asked him a minute ago, but he had no such luck. Derek fixed him with a stern look, frowning.

"You never answered my question," he said, and Jayden blushed. "Changing the subject isn't going to keep me from finding out the truth."

Jayden bowed his head down, blushing, and Derek went on, sounding amused.

"Now, tell me the truth. Do you like Kayla?"

He looked up, grimacing as he shrugged a shoulder, trying to act casual.

"Of course I like Kayla," he forced out, pretending like it was no big deal. "She's my best friend. I obviously like her."

Derek rolled his eyes, stretching to kick Jayden's leg playfully.

"You know what I meant, you fool," he said, annoyed, yet amused. It was those sort of half-baked answers that got him through most of his own adolesence. "Do you like, have a crush on Kayla?"

The amusement and happiness floated away from Jayden's features, and was replaced by defeat and fatigue. Derek looked at him- really looked at him- and realized that he hadn't really paid as much attention to Jay since Jeff had been put in hospital. He looked absolutely exhausted, as though he hadn't been getting much sleep, and there was a new sort of sadness in his eyes, the kind that had been there in the weeks, and even months, following his father's death. Derek hated seeing that look on his own kid; it made him feel like he wasn't doing enough to keep his kids happy.

"Yes, okay?" he said, blushing furiously. "I've got a freakin' crush on the girl. She's all I ever think about, anymore. Is that enough for you?"

Derek was staring, wide-eyed, at Jayden, surprised by his confession. He hadn't expected that much from the kid; maybe because he was, essentially, a kid, but still.

Jayden watched his father, waiting for a reaction of some sorts. He was biting on his lower lip in anticipation, waiting desperately for some sort of a response. Anything would be okay, at this point. He half expected Derek to tell him that he didn't know how to help him, that he would have to figure it out on his own. Hell, he even could've handled it if Derek had said to go ask Casey for help.

But he certainly didn't expect Derek to laugh. Nonetheless, his father had started cracking up with laughter, and he had a hand placed on his chest as it moved up and down with his laughter. Jayden's blush only increased, and he squirmed uncomfortably, feeling stupid for even bringing it up.

"Okay," he said, after about fifteen seconds of laughter. "You can stop now; it's not that funny."

Derek's face was red from lack of oxygen, and he was still clutching onto his now aching stomach. He grinned, holding up one finger to indicate that he needed a moment.

"H-Hold on," he said, shaking his head. "Just give me a second to let this sink in. Y-You like Kayla? As in 'best friend, goes out with Cameron, has been hanging around this house for years and beating me at Guitar Hero, which we will save for another day', Kayla?"

Jayden ignored Derek's self-implied comment, and looked away, clearly hurt.

"Forget it," he muttered, shaking his head as he pushed himself up from the couch. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Jayden took a step away from the couch, but only made it about three steps away before Derek had grabbed onto his arm, and hauled him backwards, planting him on the couch again. There was no hint of laughter on his face anymore, merely a tiny ghost of a grin, lingering on his lips. Jayden's eyes met with his, still hurt, and he glanced back down at his hands, ashamed of what he had just admitted.

"It's nothing important," he assured Derek, his voice filled with pain. "Kayla's got Cameron anyway, she wouldn't want someone like me. Besides, I'm just... I'm just her best friend. I'll always just be her best friend."

Derek wasn't sure what to say, but there was one thing he knew. The pain in Jayden's voice now, when he spoke about Kayla, practically reflected Derek's own voice, years ago, before he had Casey to himself. It was filled with a newfound sense of heartbreak, and true longing for one certain girl. Derek could relate. He knew what it was like to have tons of girls around you, but have your mind settled on one girl in particular. One girl that he had convinced himself he could never have. But he'd won Casey in the end, hadn't he? Who was to say that Jayden couldn't win Kayla?

But Derek knew Jayden better than anyone else, and he knew that his son hated to hurt anyone else's feelings. And that would mean that he'd probably never make a move on Kayla, even if Cameron wasn't in the picture anymore. He knew that Jayden would see it as a violation of his best friend's emotions.

Derek sighed as he straightened up, knowing that he had to be careful in how he worded this.

"Jayden," he started, taking a deep breath. "Do you want me to talk to you like a responsible adult, or like a guy? 'Cause if you want me to say it like a guy should, I'd just say go for her."

Jayden cringed, and it was clear that he wasn't comfortable with this option. He shook his head, indicating that this didn't sit well with him .

"And, if you were a responsible adult, which you most definitely aren't, what would you tell me?"

Derek shrugged, sighing. He had to be honest.

"If I was someone like Casey, I'd tell you not to make any moves until they are officially over, and are over each other. If they break up, talk it out with Cameron first, and make sure he'd really be okay with it. And if he gives you permission, then all that's left is Kayla's feelings. And nobody knows that but her."

Jayden didn't look any happier with this option than he had with the first, and he scratched the base of his neck carelessly, tilting his head.

"So what do I do, in the meantime?" he asked, sounding lost. "Everytime I'm with her, I just think of how badly I wish she was my girlfriend, and not Cam's."

"There's nothin' you can do about it, bud," Derek said, laughing sadly. "You can't just take someone else's girl."

Ryan came to mind at that moment, but he chose not to use that particular example when speaking to his son.

"In the meantime, you could... I dunno, I guess you could just focus on getting to know her better," he said, shrugging. "Learn more about her."

"I know everything about her, already," he admitted softly, smiling a little. "I know all her favourites, and her hobbies, and her dreams, and her-"

Derek held up a hand, shaking his head.

"I don't need the life story. I'm so not into biographies, thanks."

Jayden sighed, rolling his eyes at Derek's lack of attention to the subject at hand.

"So you're saying I should just wait?" he asked, not really liking the idea, but knowing that it was the only option available to him.

Derek nodded, smiling a very small smile at him, knowing that it was the right thing to say. Casey would be proud, anyway, even if Derek knew that waiting it out was probably the very last choice he would make, personally.

"Yeah, just wait. If it was meant to happen, it will, okay? Besides, you're only young, you've got lots of time to date people. Cameron and Kayla probably won't last, not to sound mean. You're fifteen years old. Everything will work out for you, in the end."

Jayden nodded, and grinned, standing up. He didn't seem reassured, but he seemed alot more content than he had been when he first came into the room.

"Thanks," he said, before darting towards the stairs. Derek shook his head, looking down at the remote that Jayden had abandoned on the foot of the couch. He grinned, about to reach for it, when he looked up , sensing more footsteps on the steps.

And indeed, as Jayden was going up the stairs, he almost ran straight into Casey, who was coming down at the time. Derek heard him mutter a quick apology, before running off to his bedroom, no doubt to call Kayla for some reason or another. Derek was pretty sure that he had plans to go to the mall with her, tonight, but he couldn't remember.

Derek's breathing hitched in his throat as Casey walked into the room, freezing completely when she saw Derek sitting there, his hand frozen in it's path to reach for the remote. He was scared to move or speak, for fear that she may get mad at him, or even ignore him and walk off. He was still mad at her about Ryan, but it was something he was willing to move on from, if it meant they were on good terms again. He just wanted to kiss her and hold her. He hadn't so much as given her a hug since that morning, and it was starting to get to him. He liked being able to be affectionate towards her, but that was hard to do when she was freezing him out.

Finally, their gazes broke, and she glared at him, before turning on her heel and striding out of the room. Derek panicked, but reacted instinctively, jumping up and darting after her. He managed to catch up with her after a moment or two, and he grabbed ahold of her wrist, pulling her closer to him. She whipped around to see him standing there, and she rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by his presence.

"Let me go, Derek," she demanded, shaking her head as she fought against his restraint. "I mean it. I'm already mad enough at you; and trust me, you don't want to be here to find out how mad I can really get."

Derek was slightly taken aback by her threat, but he tried not to let it bug him as he wrapped his free arm around her waist, trying to wear her down. She was struggling and fighting against him, trying to escape, no doubt to lock herself in their bedroom again, but that was not something he was going to willingly allow.

"Derek, I mean it," she hissed, her eyes red slits of anger. "You let me go, so that I can get something to eat, since I missed supper. And after that, I plan on going upstairs, and going to sleep. Feel free to sleep on the couch, because I sure as hell don't want to sleep next to you."

Derek cringed at her harsh words, his grip loosening for just a moment as he looked her in the eye, hurt.

"Casey, don't say something like that," he begged of her, and she took his one moment of weakness to pull herself away from his grasp, and take a step backwards.

"Fine, you're not okay with sleeping on the couch? I'll take it, and you can go on upstairs. Whatever it takes to get away from you."

He was losing his patience with her now, and his love could only go so far when it came to taking her bullshit, when she got like this. There was a certain line that he wasn't willing to cross, and she was teetering dangerously on that line, right about now. In fact, she was probably already over it, and he was just being a little too leniant with him.

"I mean it, Case," he said, shaking his head angrily. "Give it up."

Some of the anger in her eyes floated away as her face fell, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. She was shaking her head, and he could almost see tears in her eyes as she spoke up, her voice shaking.

"You were going to call me a whore, Derek," she said, and when he opened his mouth to argue, she shook her head, the anger returning for one brief moment. "Don't deny it, because I know you were. Do you know how it makes me feel, when you call me something like that? Even the thought that you could consider calling me something like that... it hurts."

Derek's own eyes werel filled with frustration and hurt, and he shook his head, not willing to buy her sob story completely.

"How do you think it makes me feel when my wife tells me she hates me?" he asked, cringing at the meaning of those words. "It hurts, a whole fucking lot actually, and it's not something I really want to hear from you again, thanks. I'll admit, calling you what I was going to call you would've been harsh, and it was wrong of me. But at least I stopped, and... dammit, Case. To say you hate someone... it's even worse than name calling. Especially when you sound like you mean it."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, clearly annoyed by his attitude.

"You know I don't hate you," she informed him, and even though he had known this already, his entire body seemed to let go of the tension it had been holding since those dreaded words left her mouth at the dinner table. "I wouldn't marry a person I hated."

"Well then don't say it!" he said, finding himself getting angrier with her by the second. "If you don't mean it, you don't say it, end of story."

"So judging by that policy, you seriously think I'm a whore? You know, if you mean everything you say, and you said that."

His eyes darkened, and he seemed to recognize that he was in trouble. Big trouble. He shook his head desperately, trying hard to steer things between the two of them in a positive direction, which was harder than it looked, at this point. He knew that whatever progress he had made with her was slipping through his fingers like sand, right now. The anger was returning to her features, and she was tensing. He moved forward, taking hold of her waist with one hand and he shook his head, knowing that she was about to get really mad at him.

"Casey, I don't want to fight with you," he said, shaking his head again. "I really don't. We're going through enough right now as it is, and-"

"You can't use that as an excuse to get yourself out of trouble, Derek!"

He felt himself grow angry at her mention of Jeff's condition as nothing more than an 'excuse', to him.

"I'm not using it as an excuse!" he yelled, backing her up against the wall. Her back hit the wall, and she cringed, knowing that he was mad, too.

"You know I love Jeff; that kid means the world to me. I'm serious, I'm not trying to use what happened as an excuse for anything. But I really don't think fighting, when our family is already in so much trouble, is a good idea."

She stared at him, her eyes confused, and for one brief moment, he thought that she was going to forgive him. He thought she'd slump her shoulders in defeat, and tell him that she was through with their fighting, too.

But she didn't. Within one brief moment, she'd reached down and grabbed his wrist, yanking it away from her waist. And before he could react, she placed both of her hands against his chest, and shoved him hard, enough so that she could move away from the wall. He stumbled, but caught himself on the corner of the opposite wall. He regained his balance, and stared up at her through the strands of hair that covered his wide eyes.

"Jesus, Casey!" he hissed, annoyed. "Would you calm down?"

"Cam down?" she repeated, her voice annoyed. "Don't tell me to calm down. If I'm mad at you, I'm going to show it, and no amount of your sob stories is gonna make me change my mind!"

Derek wanted to yell back, but he knew that it would only cause more problems between them, in the long run. He was better off attempting to speak logically with her, unless he got really mad, anyway.

"What exactly is it you're mad about, Case?" he asked, confused. "Is it because I called you what I did? Because, whatever you may think, I didn't mean that. I was just mad that you went to hang out with Ryan, and I... I should've probably been a little more trusting of you, but you don't understand how hard it is for me to watch you go off with him. It kills me."

For a second, he thought he'd gotten to her, and that she wasn't as mad again. But unfortunately for him, he had no such luck. She rolled her eyes, and shook her head with disgust.

"Seriously, it's not a big deal," she told him, annoyed. "I'm not going to stop being friends with Ryan because you're jealous. In fact, I think I'm going to go meet up with him right now. I could use a break from all this arguing."

Derek panicked as she began to walk away, and he could feel his heart breaking with her every word. She was acting like a bitch, and if he wasn't in so deep already, Derek would have told her so. But he didn't want to make it worse, so he merely darted after her, and grabbed her wrist.

"Please, Case?" he said, shaking his head. "Don't go out again tonight, not with him. I'm sorry for being overprotective, but... please just stay home?"

He had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't know why. He just felt like her leaving tonight wouldn't be such a good idea.

She sensed his fear, and he noticed that she seemed to soften a little, though by no means entirely.

"I just need to go out for awhile," she assured him, sighing. "I'll be back soon. Trust me, it'll help."

Without another word, she had slipped out of his grip, and grabbed her coat off the hook. She slipped into it, and as Derek leaned back against the wall, she was gone.

- - - -

"I just don't understand why he's so set on hating you," Casey said to Ryan, shaking her head. "It makes no sense. You didn't say anything wrong to him."

Ryan shrugged as they walked around the mall slowly, and he placed his hands in his pockets.

"I don't know, Case," he admitted, sighing. "It's just jealousy; don't even worry about it. I'm sure he'll get over it eventually. He needs to understand that he can't break up a friendship like that. We've become good friends, and I'm not letting him take that away from us now."

Casey sighed as they wandered down the abandoned hallway towards the washrooms, where she had indicated she needed to go. Sure, she really just had to fix her makeup, but Ryan didn't need to know that.

She was heading towards the washroom, and she turned to Ryan, sighing.

"I'll be right back," she said, giving a jerk of the head towards the washroom. "Wait here."

Ryan grinned, nodding his head as he leaned back against the wall, hands in his pockets. Casey went into the washroom, laying her purse on the counter. She was happy that there was nobody else in here right now, because she really hated fixing her makeup when other people were standing around her, unless she knew them of course.

When she finally replaced her makeup in her purse and turned back to her reflection, she sighed, smiling a little. But as she studied her reflection, and realized that she was getting all worked up about her appearance because of Ryan, she suddenly felt absolutely ashamed of the way she had treated Derek earlier. He'd been trying so hard to make up with her, and make things right, and she'd been a total bitch to him. She wouldn't blame him if he hated her right about now, even if he knew that he'd never hate her. She'd been pretty cruel to him, even if he hadn't exactly been acting the best during dinner. But he definitely didn't deserve half of the things she had said to him.

And suddenly, she could barely stand to even look at herself. Because as much as she was sorry for the way she had treated Derek, and as much as she loved him, she knew that her feelings for the guy standing outside the bathroom, the guy she was fussing about her appearance for, were growing. She didn't want to like Ryan, she really didn't, but a much larger part of her knew that she could admit to herself that, despite what she wanted, she did like him. She wasn't supposed to, but the feelings were there.

She felt tears in her eyes, and mixed with her confusion and messed up feelings, it was too much on her. She backed into the nearest stall, and leaned against the door of it, crying. Derek was right, even if she'd fought him on it. She was turning into exactly what she had claimed she'd never be; a whore. What sort of self-respecting person could like another man when she was married? She couldn't even think about it; the thought made her sick.

Five minutes later, she was still crying, and she heard a faint knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening up a little.

"Casey?" she heard Ryan call through the crack. "You okay? You've been in here for like ten minutes now."

She tried to hide the sound of her crying, but she failed, and she knew that he had heard her. When he spoke up again, he was concerned, and his voice was worried.

"Case, come on out here; I know you're crying," he said, his voice gentle. "I can't come in there, so... please? I want to help you."

_'You can't help me,'_ Casey couldn't help but think to herself. Ryan definitely couldn't help this situation. In fact, he could really only make it worse. But she knew that she had to come out, so she sniffed, wiping away a few of her tears, and she unlocked the stall door, making her way out into the washroom. The door had closed again, and she took one brief moment to use a tissue to wipe some of her smeared eyeliner away, before discarding of it, and leaving the washroom.

Ryan was waiting outside the door, and when he saw that she was upset, he pulled his best concerned face, and reached out, hugging her. And for whatever reason she didn't understand, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him back. This was doing nothing to help rid herself of her feelings for Ryan, and she knew that, but she couldn't help it; she needed comfort, right now.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, when she pulled back slightly, and removed her arms from his neck, leaning against the wall. He kept his arms around her waist, and she half wanted to ask him to stop it, because this was so wrong, on so many levels. She shouldn't even be in this position, right now, or ever.

"Derek was right," she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm a horrible person."

Ryan shook his head, his eyes soft, and he moved a little closer to her, looking confused.

"Did he say that?" he asked, and she shrugged. He might as well have said it; he'd come close enough. Ryan shook his head, frowning slightly.

"Whatever he said, he was wrong, Case," he assured her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her eyes. Half of her wished he'd stop, so that her feelings couldn't be manipulated any further, but the other half of her was enjoying this, as much as she knew that she shouldn't.

"You're not a horrible person; you're amazing, and if Derek can't see that..."

"It's not Derek's fault," she sniffed, shaking her head. "It's my fault. I'm turning into the person he was scared I'd become."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, clearly not following what she was saying. She knew that admitting the truth, right here and right now, was the only way out of this mess. At least then, she could explain to Ryan that her feelings were wrong, and nothing could ever happen. At least then her concious would be free... except when it came to Derek, anyway.

"Who was he scared you'd turn into?" he asked, shaking his head. "I don't think you've changed."

"I have," she said, sighing. "He was scared that if I hung out with you... well, he never really said that, but... I mean, he sort of..."

She took a deep breath, knowing that she was making no sense, and her eyes locked with Ryan's as she tried to gather the courage to speak.

"I think he thought that if I hung out with you too much, I'd start to like you."

Ryan's eyes widened, and she hated that he looked hopeful. She also hated that she could confirm what he wanted to hear, if he were to ask her about it. And, of course, he did.

"So you're saying that you like me?" he asked, his eyes glistening happily. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Casey squirmed uncomfortably, averting her gaze to the floor. She didn't want to look him in the eye, because she'd admit it then. She didn't want to see how happy that confession would make Ryan, because that would only sicken her.

"I... I'm really confused right now, and I... I think I could, maybe, sort of... I know I shouldn't..."

She was making no sense, and she knew it. The second she looked up into his eyes however, her answer came to her, and she nodded her head, feeling her stomach turn unpleasantly.

"Yeah," she admitted, her voice a weakened whisper. "Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I don't want to, and it's complicated, but-"

Before she could explain that it was wrong, and this was going to go nowhere, she was cut off, because Ryan had leaned down, and kissed her. His lips were moving against hers, but she wasn't responding. She was scared to kiss him back, because that would make this whole situation even worse than it was. She let it continue for no more than five seconds, before pushing him away, her hands against his chest. She was sobbing, still, and she shook her head, wiping a tear away from her eyes.

"We can't do this," she reminded him, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm married to Derek; I love Derek, I do. I just... I don't know what to..."

"Nobody has to know," he whispered, combing his hand through his hair. "I'm not going to tell anyone. You need me right now, don't you, Casey?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, still crying, and she bit down hard on her lip as his grip on her waist tightened slightly, and he spoke up again, his voice harsh.

"_Don't you_?" he hissed in a whisper, that sent chills running down her spine. Before she could respond, he had pressed her against the wall of the abandoned hallway, and he'd kissed her again. And for some crazy, fucked up reason that she'd never understand, she let him do it. And this time, she kissed him back. All thoughts of Derek were pushed to the back of her mind as she let herself kiss Ryan.

Neither of them had seen someone else walking down the hallway towards the men's washroom, leaving his pack of friends outside the entrance. Nobody noticed the way Jayden stopped and stared in horror as the woman he regarded solely as his mother stood there, allowing her best friend's brother in-law to kiss her. And Casey didn't notice a thing as her son glared at her, and turned away, his eyes filled with disgust, and a pain that no fifteen year old should ever have to feel.

* * *

**Don't kill me... or Casey. Any murders of Ryan, however, I can accept, so feel free to break out the spears of death, so long as you're chasing him with them ! **


	14. Sickness

**This is more of an aftermath chapter than anything else. Review, please! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Sickness**

By the time Casey got home, it was eleven o'clock at night. Ryan had dropped her off, since she had taken the bus to Cole's earlier, needing time to think. When she went in through the front door, she turned briefly to wave to Ryan, who nodded at her, and drove off contently. Without another word, she pulled the door closed behind her, and leaned against it, sighing loudly. It had definitely been an interesting day, and she wasn't really proud of that, either. So much had happened, and she felt like she just needed to get some sleep.

Kicking off her shoes, she hung her coat up, and made her way into the living room, running a hand through her hair. She stopped abruptly when she saw someone on the couch, watching TV. She thought it was Derek first, which she wasn't really looking forward to just yet. But luckily for her, it was only Jayden, lying there in plaid pajama pants and a hoodie, a can of Pringles open in his hands. He was watching the TV completely in the dark, and the faint blow glow of it dawned on his face as Casey squinted, frowning slightly.

"Hey," she said, and he looked up at her. She could've sworn he gave her a dirty look, but she figured it must just be the way the light had hit him, because when she looked again, he looked unmoved by her presence.

"Hi," was all he said, before turning back to the TV. She felt her stomach clench at his emotionless attitude towards her, and she knew it was best to question it now, to get it out of the way.

"Jay, is everything okay?" she asked, taking a step into the room. She flicked the lightswitch on, and he squinted in the new light, shooting her a glare as he tried to adjust his eyes to it. Once he had, he shrugged his shoulders, and took a Pringle out of the can, stuffing it into his mouth.

"I'm fine," he lied, shaking his head. "And I'm trying to watch something right now, so if you don't mind..."

Without another word, he turned back to his show, and Casey stared at him for a moment, shocked.

"Jayden..." she said slowly, trailing off. "Are you sure you're not mad at me, or something? You're acting really weird."

"I told you, Casey. I'm fine."

She didn't buy his fake attitude, and she shook her head, before crossing the room, and flicking the TV off. She stood in front of it, her arms folded across her chest pointedly. He sat up straight, his eyes wide and angry as he motioned for her to move.

"Casey!" he cried, and she was taken aback slightly. He rarely ever called them Casey or Derek, anymore. "I was watching that!"

"And now you're not," she said, enforcing some of her parental power over him. "You don't even like that show, Jayden."

"Do too," he muttered, crossing his arms across his chest and settling down against the arm of the couch. It was very obvious that something was bothering him, and she knew it. The only problem was, he didn't seem to want to tell her anything.

"I don't like your attitude," she noted, shaking her head. "This isn't you. What's wrong? Did you get into a fight with one of your friends?"

He shook his head, his eyes fixed on the TV, even though there was nothing on.

"No, I didn't fight with anyone," he said truthfully, shrugging. "Everything's fine, I told you. I'm just tired. Now can you please turn my show back on? You're making me miss a new episode."

Casey wanted to argue with him, but she knew that he was a teenager, and they had proven to be difficult creatures throughout several hundred generations. There was no sense in trying to make him talk about something that he wasn't comfortable talking about. She knew that, eventually, she'd find out what was wrong.

So she nodded, and flicked the TV back on, replacing the remote on the coffee table.

"Fine," she said, her voice slightly hurt. "I'll leave you alone, if that's what you want."

She made her way towards the door, slightly discouraged, and she turned around when she heard her son speak up from his spot on the couch.

"Mom?" he called out, and she fixed her eyes on him quickly, hoping that he'd tell her what was wrong. She tried her best to look understanding as she nodded her head, giving him a questioning look.

"Yeah, Jay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Jayden's anger remained in his features, but now, it was mixed with something like fear, and nervousness. He sat up a little bit straighter, brushing the crumbs off of his shirt. Looking up at her, he finally spoke.

"Is everything going to be okay with you and Dad?" he asked, sounding scared. "You guys don't usually fight like that."

Realization dawned over Casey, and she softened completely, knowing why he was so upset. Running a hand through her hair, she exhaled evenly, and made her way towards the couch, and shooed Jayden's feet away. He shifted so that she could sit down, and she fixed him with a serious look, concerned.

"Is that what you're so worried about?" she asked, shaking her head. "Is that why you're acting funny?"

Jayden squirmed uncomfortably, a blush rising in his cheeks steadily. He shrugged one shoulder, as though it didn't really matter.

"Maybe... sort of," he admitted, sighing. "I just hate it when you guys are fighting."

Casey sighed, knowing that on any other day, she could reassure Jayden that everything was okay, and feel perfectly okay with it. But today, she felt terrible for telling him that everything was fine, because that was the farthest from the truth she could get. She had just cheated on Derek. She'd kissed another guy. She felt like a total hypocrite; she had spent four years freezing Derek out of her life because he had cheated on her with a girl he didn't even know, and he'd been drunk. She was perfectly sober, and she had been when she kissed Ryan, too. She had known full well what she was doing, and she'd let him continue. She thought of Derek, upstairs, waiting for her to come home. He'd probably been sick to his stomach with envy the whole night, knowing she was with Ryan. But it always seemed to reassure him when she told him that everything was okay, that she would never cheat on him.

She wasn't sure how easy that would be to pull off, this time. And as mature as Jayden was, she didn't think that she should be putting her worries on him, which meant that she might have to stretch the truth a little bit.

"Jayden," she began, taking a deep breath. "Let me tell you something, okay? I love Derek, and he loves me. We fight alot, but that doesn't mean that we love each other any less, okay? We're going to work it all out in the end; you know that. We've been through worse than this, trust me."

That was only half true, though she considered Derek's abusive stage to be slightly worse, and she ruffled Jayden's hair when he still looked unconvinced, smiling at him.

"Cheer up, okay?" she said, resting her hand on his shoulder gently. "You're fifteen years old. You're supposed to be telling us off, and ignoring us, not worrying about our problems, right?"

Jayden forced a tiny smile, but it was easy to see how scared he was over his parent's current situation. He didn't want to tell Derek what Casey had done, for several reasons. First of all, he knew that it would absolutely break Derek's heart. He remembered how Derek had acted during that month, after they had returned to Toronto a few years ago, before Casey and Derek had gotten back together. He had been absolutely miserable, sitting around, not going anywhere. He'd only gotten up to cook Jayden something to eat, and drive him to soccer. Other than that, he'd been absolutely swallowed up in his own world of pity.

And he didn't want that again. Besides that, he knew that, if Derek were to leave Casey over this, their whole family would be ruined. And Jayden didn't want to be held responsible for tearing apart their family. He didn't want anyone to look at him like he was some sort of monster. Besides, he didn't know everything. Casey was cheating on Derek with Ryan, that much was obvious, but he didn't know if it had happened before, or how far it had all gone.

He shuddered even thinking about it. He knew that he couldn't argue with Casey anymore, without revealing what he had seen, so he merely nodded, looking down to avoid her gaze.

"Okay," he said quietly, no more reassured than he had been before she talked to him. "Thanks; goodnight."

"Night," Casey said, finally buying his answer, and standing up, heading towards the door. "Don't stay up too late."

A few moments later, she paused outside the door to hers and Derek's bedroom, wondering if he would have gone to sleep yet. She doubted it, as Derek was never one to go to bed too early, but she knew that he'd been in a bad mood, and would've probably just been fed up with the whole day. He probably just wanted to go to sleep and forget that the whole argument had even happened.

She made her way into the bedroom slowly, biting down on her lower lip gently. Derek was sitting down on their bed, his back against the headboard. He had his laptop open on his lap, and he was absent-mindedly scanning the screen, as though nothing was really interesting him. He didn't look as mad as he had before, but then again, he didn't know she was in the room, yet. She caught sight of his eyes, and she felt like she could be sick. She felt so unclean, so dirty, and so unworthy of his love right about now. She had kissed some other guy. How could she betray Derek like that? Here he was, thinking she was loyal, and really, she had just gone off and cheated on him. She felt absolutely unworthy of his affection.

"Derek?" she said, speaking up quietly. His head raised up then, his eyes widening slightly as he caught sight of her. There was a sense of relief in his eyes, and she had a feeling that he had thought she might not come home tonight. He softened completely, breathing out slowly. He closed the laptop, flicking the power switch, and he laid it down on the endtable next to him. He shifted slightly, and gave her a nervous smile.

"Hey, Case," he said softly, his voice shaking. He was silent for a moment, before going on. "Are we... are we, uh, okay?"

She closed the door behind her, and shrugged out of her sweater, throwing it onto the chair in the corner. Making her way towards him, she nodded, and sat down on the edge of the bed. He shifted to make room for her, and she sighed, placing one hand down against his knee.

"Yeah, we're okay," she said gently, feeling horrible. "I just needed some time to think."

This was a blatant lie, and she knew it, but she couldn't really tell him what was really making her feel the need to apologize. She was apologizing out of guilt of what she had just done to him.

He smiled gently, and moved over, patting the space next to him to indicate that he wanted her to join him. She shuffled up onto the bed next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her as she lay against his chest, her head on his shoulder. She felt tense in his arms, as though her secret was going to be spilled at any given moment. She could feel his hold on her tighten protectively, and she knew that he'd missed her. He kissed her forehead gently, and she could've sworn he was shaking.

"Derek?" she questioned, placing one hand over his gently on her waist. "Baby, you're shaking. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he murmered, burying his face into her hair. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect."

"Then why are you so shaky?" she asked him, her eyes darting up to meet his. He shrugged, still not looking entirely convinced that everything was okay.

"I'm shaky because of that," he said, swallowing hard. "Whenever we make up from a fight like that, I dunno... I'm relieved, but it's like, I know I've gotta be grateful. Because I'm always scared that, someday, we might not make it through a fight, and we might just..."

She reached up, covering his lips gently with her finger, shaking her head. He trailed off, looking down at her questioningly. Removing her finger from his lips, she shrugged.

"Don't talk like that; 'cause that's never gonna happen," she assured him, confident. "I would never let a few stupid fights come between our relationship."

He looked relieved, and he kissed her forehead gently, hugging her tighter.

"I love you," he reminded her, making up for the whole day, when they had barely even touched, let alone displayed signs of affection towards one another. She curled herself up against his chest perfectly as he pulled the covers up over them. She didn't care if she fell asleep in her jeans, because she didn't want to move from Derek's arms, right now. She wanted to stay, so that she could be reminded of who she was supposed to love- who she already loved. She just needed a good reminder of that, and staying here with him, in his arms... that would definitely remind her.

"I love you too, Derek," she said softly, closing her eyes briefly. "I'm sorry for saying I hated you. And for freaking out at you. You didn't deserve that. I just got carried away."

"It's okay," he said, combing one hand through her hair, the other still clutching her waist tightly. Her hand was still over his, and the other was placed on his chest gently, her fingers sprawled out lazily.

"I'm sorry for calling you a whore, and for thinking you'd cheat on me with him," he said, and she tensed slightly in his arms. "I was stupid for ever thinking that. You love me just as much as I love you, and I know that I'd never do something like that to you again. And I know you'd never cheat on me either. I should've trusted you."

She wanted to be sick. She wanted to run from the room, and actually throw up. She found her hatred for herself growing by the minute, and she wanted to tell Derek that she didn't deserve him, that he was a better person than she was. Because, to her, he was. He was so amazing, and she didn't even deserve him anymore. She told herself that she wouldn't do anything with Ryan again, but she knew that when she was with him, without Derek, her resolve would be weakened, and she'd wind up giving in again. She told herself over and over that she couldn't let that happen.

Looking up into her husband's loving eyes, she sighed, and pressed herself against him even more tightly.

"Goodnight, Derek," she said, wishing that she was able to say something about the words he had just said, but knowing that no truth could be spoken.

And for that, there was only her to blame.

- - - -

It was three o'clock in the morning, and Casey was absolutely sick to her stomach. She'd woken up at around two forty, and had started thinking about everything. She'd thought that the thing with Ryan might have just been a dream, for one wonderful moment. But then everything had come rushing back to her all at once; the fight with Derek, the trip to the mall, the kiss, then making up with Derek. The only highlight of that series of events, to her, was making up with her husband. Thinking about the rest had only made her feel absolutely nauseated, which had brought her here to the bathroom, where she had just gotten sick.

She was leaned over the toilet, and she rested one arm against the counter of the sink next to her, pressing her forehead down against the side of her arm gently. The other hand clutched her stomach desperately, willing herself to keep the rest of it's contents down, where they belonged.

Her head was spinning, and she had what felt like the twentieth headache that she'd gotten this week, though she knew that was an exaggeration, if only slightly. The headaches were from stress, she knew. She had been prone to getting stress headaches during exam week back in high school, when she'd be most worried and anxious. And right now, with everything that was happening with Jeff, and now Ryan, well... it was an understatement when she said that she was stressed out.

Derek was still in bed, of course, and it killed her to think that he was back there, thinking that she'd was completely innocent, when really, she'd spent the night cheating on him with Ryan. She cringed, and her stomach turned as she remembered their last few minutes at the mall, last night.

- - - -

_It had taken a long time for either one of them to pull away. Surprisingly, it was Casey who pulled back, and she bit her lip gently, worry clear in her eyes as she shook her head. _

_"I still don't think this is-" she started, but Ryan cut her off, shaking his head as he pressed his fingers to her lips. _

_  
"Shh," he coaxed her gently, not wanting to hear her say the words he knew were coming. "Nobody's going to know about any of this, I promise you. This is going to be our little secret, got it?" _

_She didn't answer; she merely continued to look him in the eye, searching for some sort of honesty. He sensed that her mind was still busy at work, and he shook his head, gripping her arm a bit tightly. She squirmed uncomfortably, and his eyes stared right into hers dangerously as he repeated himself. _

_"Got it?" _

_She was half afraid to say no, because he sounded so serious. She knew that he wasn't violent or anything, but still, there was something in his voice that scared her off a bit when he spoke. So she nodded quickly, feeling absolutely pathetic. How was it that she couldn't find the ability to say no to him? She was completely in love with a terrific guy, and here she was, allowing her best friend's brother in-law all over her. _

_"I got it," she agreed, sighing as she shrugged out of his grasp, still leaning against the wall. "Ryan, I just don't think I can do this. I've got Derek, and-" _

_"If Derek was so great, you wouldn't be coming to me, would you?" he asked, and softened, brushing her hair away from her face. "I really like you, Casey. And I know you're married, and I know that, to you, this seems wrong, but I feel like you're the only person who understands me." _

_She softened a little as she sensed the desperation in her his voice, and he seemed to realize that he was getting through to her, on some level. _

"_I don't want to come off as desperate, but I feel like I need you to want me too," he admitted, shrugging. "I'm not going to force you into anything. In fact, I don't even want you to decide anything right now. It'd be too rushed. Just... please, think about it. I'm not Derek, but... at the end of the summer, I'll be gone, and those two months with you would be the best two months would be some of the best months of my life." _

_She shook her head, about to tell him that it was wrong, that she couldn't carry on a secret relationship behind Derek's back. It would be completely immoral. But he raised a hand up, covering her mouth gently. He shook his head, smiling sadly at her. _

"_No decisions yet, remember?" he said, sounding vaguely hopeful. Lowering his hand, he continued. "Think about it. I won't tell anyone what happened, and I know that you won't either. Nobody is gonna find out about this, okay? It's going to be our little secret." _

_- - - - _

'_Our little secret,'_ he had said. Oh God, the very thought of it made it sound so scandalous, so dirty, and so wrong. She was becoming some sort of slut, and she knew it. And as she felt her stomach turn again with fear and panic, she leaned over, and felt herself get sick again. She felt tears in her eyes, mixing with her nausea, and her head was spinning. She was lightheaded, and her face was blood red. She flushed the toilet, washing away the contents. She felt the tears slipping down her face, and she collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the bathtub casually. Slowly, she rested her arms on her knees, shaking slightly.

The next thing she heard was a voice from the doorway, sounding concerned.

"Casey?"

She looked up to see Derek standing there, half awake, looking absolutely horrified at the sight in front of him. He saw her red eyes, and her tear stained cheeks, and fell onto his knees next to her, nudging her chin up so that she was looking at him.

"Casey," he began, concern clear in his eyes. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay? I... I heard you getting sick; I was worried."

She wiped her tears away on her sleeve, and nodded her head slowly, sniffing. She drew in a few breaths as he smoothed her hair back off of her face, and attempted to calm her down a little bit. His fingers brushed gently along the soft skin on her cheek as he tried to dry away the last of her tears with his own sleeve. She felt her breathing catching in her throat as she was reminded of how amazing Derek really was to her. He did whatever he could to make her feel better, and to keep their relationship going strong. If only he knew what she had been doing earlier that night; if only he knew that she had done something completely destructive to their relationship. If he knew, she had a feeling that he wouldn't be sitting here on the bathroom floor with her, drying her tears and combing his fingers through her hair gently. She had a feeling he'd be in the car with their son and daughter in the backseat, getting as far away from her as he could.

At least, she guessed that this was where he would be going.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, when she hadn't answered. "Case, look at me, are you alright? You're not talking, and you look really bad, no offence. Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

She panicked then, and shook her head desperately, raising her head with great difficulty. Her broken eyes met his concerned ones in a glistening connection, and she knew that he was seriously worried about her. She knew that Ryan wouldn't be crouched on a cold bathroom floor at three in the morning, taking care of her. Only Derek would do that for her, because she knew that she meant everything to him.

"I'm fine," she managed to get out, her voice weak with fatigue and nausea. "I just don't feel well. My stomach feels sick, and I've got a headache, and... and... I just don't know."

He brushed a few strands of hair away from her forehead, placing his warm palm against the warm and flushed skin. His eyebrows scrunched together slightly with concern, and he frowned.

"You're hot," he said, and she smiled lazily, leaning her head back against the ledge of the bathtub.

"Thanks, baby; so are you," she said, and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. For once, he was the one being serious.

"Not what I meant, Case," he said, and sighed, placing an arm underneath her knees, and wrapping another arm around her waist. He helped her to her feet, keeping a good hold on her from all angles. He put the toilet seat down, and sat her down on that. He made sure that she was balanced, before going to the sink, and wetting a facecloth with lukewarm water. He wrung the excess water out of it, before returning to her, and pressing the quickly cooling cloth against her cheeks, and forehead. He wiped her tears away, and she felt the coolness begin to cool her off a little bit. He knew that she would be okay for a second, so he sighed, pressing the cloth into her hand.

"I'm going to go get you something for your head and stomach," he said quietly, as she wiped her face with the cloth. "You'll be okay for a few minutes, right?"

She nodded, smiling faintly at him. She was feeling a bit better than she had been even a few minutes ago, and she had a feeling that she knew what was wrong with her. It was all just a result of the stress she was under. Between her current drama with Ryan, and her son's hospitalization, she was absolutely pressured every second of everyday, lately. She had dealt with sickness from stress before; it was nothing new to her.

But nonetheless, Derek was absolutely adorable when he was concerned. She sort of found it cute when he darted around like some whipped little boy, doing everything he could to take care of her. She was sick, she wasn't dying. But you'd never know the difference, if you were to see Derek darting around, like this.

A few minutes later, when he returned, she was standing up in front of the sink, having just finished brushing her teeth, to get rid of the bad taste in her mouth. He leaned against the doorframe, smiling at her.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, pushing himself away from the doorway, and taking a step towards her. She turned towards him, and he extended the small glass of water to her, at which she wrapped her hand around it, taking it from him. He opened up to reveal to pills lying in his palm; a Gravol, and a Tylonel. She smiled thankfully, leaning forwards to kiss his cheek. She grasped the back of his neck as she did so, and she pulled away, her eyes tired, and grateful.

"Thanks, you're the best," she said, tilting her head back, and taking the pills in one swift motion. She swallowed, cringing at the pressure in her throat, and she leaned against the sink, one hand propped up behind her casually as the other held onto her glass. She lifted the glass to her lips again, and took another tiny sip, not wanting to swallow it all at once. Her stomach couldn't take much more, tonight.

"Case, I really think you should go to the doctor," he said, his voice laced with concern as he watched her take small sips of water, staring off into space. "This is like... your seventh headache this week, not to mention your second time getting sick like this."

Casey smiled softly, shaking her head to indicate that everything was okay. She hadn't forgotten about the night, a few days back, when she had woken up at five in the morning, sick to her stomach. He'd been just as caring that night, as well. She didn't know where all of this patience and stored energy was coming from.

"Thanks for the concern, but it's just stress, Derek," she said, shrugging. "I used to get like this during exams in high school, remember?"

He nodded, but didn't look at all convinced. He rushed to prove another point.

"Yeah, maybe," he said, before moving onto his own opinion. "But you never had it this bad. I was there with you during those exam nights, remember? I think I've got scars from the textbooks you flicked at me everytime I interrupted your studying."

She scowled, rolling her eyes at his exaggeration.

"You don't have scars, you big baby, the books were barely two pounds. And besides, you deserved it. You'd interrupt my studying to tell me knock-knock jokes."

"They weren't knock-knock jokes, they were dumb blonde jokes, and I didn't deserve to be hit with anything. I mean, come on; look at this baby," he said, motioning towards his face. "How could you want to hurt this?"

Casey took the last sip of her water, and turned slightly to place the glass against the back of the counter. Pushing herself away from the counter, she shrugged, trying to look unmoved.

"Very easily," she suggested, and she slipped her fingers through his, giving his hand a squeeze. He smiled down at her gently, and he slowly backed her up against the door. She felt her back push the door closed, and she felt him reach around her for the lock. She giggled as she felt his hand slide up under her shirt against her back, the exposure sending goosebumps rising on her flesh.

"Derek, I really don't feel well," she reminded him in a faint murmer, as he pressed his lips to her neck, pressing her body up against the door gently. He was careful not to put pressure on her stomach, for he knew she was sick.

"Come on, please?" she begged him, gasping slightly as he pressed featherlight kisses along her collarbone. "Any, wow... any other day I would, but I'm not up for anything right now. I'm sick, that's hardly sexy."

"You're sexy," he teased, smirking against her skin. "So am I... all that matters."

"Aren't we arrogant?" she teased, closing her eyes briefly at his touch. She needed him to stop right now, because she knew her resolve was weakening.

"Mhm," he mumbled hungrily, his hands rubbing up and down against her back underneath her shirt, finally roaming along her sides. She was moments away from giving in, and Casey knew that Derek was well aware of it, judging by the superior look that she caught in his eyes when he pulled back long enough to smirk, and wink at her. She rolled her eyes, but when she felt his lips on her skin again, she forgot all about pushing him away.

Feeling his hands tugging at the hem of her shirt, begging her to let him remove it, she snapped back to her senses, and shook her head. Her hands moved up to press against his chest, and she pushed him away gently, smiling gently.

"Derek, I mean it," she said, sighing. "I love you and all, but I really can't do anything right now. I feel so sick."

Derek frowned, wiping his mouth with disappointment. He shifted, and pushed his hands into the back pockets of his pajama pants. She knew that he was only doing this because he couldn't stand to touch her. If he touched her now, they'd never leave this bathroom, and they both knew it.

"If you're too sick to make out with me, then you're definitely seeing a doctor," he said, his eyes panicked. She rolled her eyes at his disgusting selfishness, and he decided to rephrase his words.

"You know I didn't mean it in a pig-headed way," he reminded her, and she sighed, nodding. Of course she had known that. "But if you're so stressed that you're getting sick, and having headaches like this, I want you to go and just check in with the doctor. Maybe he can give you some tips, or something to help ease the headaches easier than Tylonel or Advil."

Casey sighed; she knew Derek would not budge on this one. When Casey's safety or health was on the line, he was never one to compromise. He would fight until he got his way. So she nodded her head reluctantly, knowing that she had to give in. She trusted herself enough to reach down and hold onto his hand again, and she kissed the back of it gently, her eyes soft.

"Fine, I'll go," she said, giving in. "And you say _you're_ whipped?"

He grinned, and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers firmly. She kissed him back, and she hated thinking that this was the second man that she'd kissed today. The thought made her feel disgusted with herself again, and she was sure to pull away quickly, smiling to cover up her strange reaction. He looked confused for a second, but merely sighed, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"C'mon," he said, taking a step backwards. "Let's get you back to bed, okay?"

She nodded her head, flicking the lightswitch off as she made her way out of the bathroom, Derek's hand clasped tightly in hers. She needed to talk to Ryan. She needed to explain to him that whatever he wanted with her, it couldn't happen. But she knew that, the second he looked at her, or was in the same room as her, those feelings would return, and she'd be just as baffled as she had been before.

* * *

**Ugh, stress sickness is not fun. Who else gets that during exams? -waves hand- Reviews are love **


	15. Perfect

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Perfect**

"Three..."

"Cannow?"

"Two... and it's cannonball, Kel,"

"Canno-baw?"

"Close enough..."

There was silence, disrupted only by the gentle sound of their parent's shallow breathing. Neither of the adults were awake yet, considering it was only six in the morning. Derek was lying on his back, sound asleep, and Casey was lying on her side, curled up against his chest perfectly with her head resting peacefully on his shoulder. She had one arm lying aimlessly across his chest, and her other one was situated safely between both of them. Derek's own arm was wrapped securely around her waist, and Jayden had to grin a little. They looked so peaceful, and it was moments like this that he would never have believed that Casey was cheating on Derek, if he hadn't seen it himself, of course. It was clear, when they were lying together like this, that their love for each other was still there, running through their veins, stronger than ever. Jayden knew that Casey loved Derek just as much as she always had, but then he had to wonder where her sudden change of heart was. Why would she go to someone else, when Derek was everything that Ryan was, plus more.

Yeah, they looked like they had practically no cares in the world, right about now. Jayden grinned mischeviously, an playfully evil gleam dancing in his eyes. They wouldn't be fast asleep and careless for very long. Not if Team Jelly had anything to do with it. He had to laugh at the nickname that Jeff had come up with, for the three of them. Since both Jayden and Jeff's names began with the letter J, they had combined it with Kelly's name to make Team Jelly, for when they were playing pranks. It was probably the lamest thing that Jayden had ever heard of, but Jeff had been quite proud of the creation, and he was only six after all. Who was he to challenge something Jeff was proud of? Of course, they were missing one of the members of their little team, so it wasn't exactly the same, anymore.

"Now?" Kelly asked, still on her brother's back, her hands clasped tightly together as they encircled his neck. He tightened his hold on her, and drew in a deep breath, their grins matching.

"Ready, set..." he began, swinging Kelly in front of him, against his chest. Together, they hurled themselves towards the bed with excitement, Jayden clutching onto Kelly so that she wouldn't fall.

"Cannonball!" they yelled together, as they landed on the bottom of the bed in a heap. Derek jolted up, smacking his head off of the headboard, and cursing under his breath silently. Casey gave a little squeal, and almost rolled over the edge of the bed. Her ankles got caught in the sheets, and Derek reached out, pulling her back towards him before she fell onto the floor. She struggled to sit up, as Derek did the same, rubbing the top of his head bitterly. His face was scrunched up with confusion, and his eyes were squinted in the unfamilar light.

Kelly and Jayden were laughing hysterically at the foot of their bed, Jayden stretched out on his back, and Kelly sitting up on his chest happily. She pointed to her father, smiling a toothy little grin.

"Gotcha," she managed to get out, her voice proud and excited. "Got Daddy!"

Derek's eyes were still narrowed, and there was anger in them. But when he caught sight of the excited look on his little girl's face, at the realization that she had been included in one of her brother's little escapades against their parents, he knew how happy she was about this. She always wanted to be included in the boy's schemes, but it was a rare occasion when Jayden let her, and there had only been three occasions on which Jeff had asked her to join in, yet. He knew that she was proud of living up to the Venturi name, so he pushed his aching head to the back of his mind, and grinned proudly, leaning forward to scoop his girl up into his arms, hugging her to his chest. Her cheek pressed against the side of his head as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, giggling happily as he kissed the side of her head.

"You sure did; I was terrified," he lied, gasping. "Soon I'll have to put guards outside this room, just to keep you out. Really, you're that good."

Kelly giggled, not knowing that her father was lying, of course. He pulled back enough to ruffle her hair playfully, and the brown strands fell around her eyes in wavy wisps, giving her that well known 'messy' Venturi look. Of course, she was a girl, so it wasn't as fitting, but on Kelly, it looked adorably messy.

"Up bright and early, Princess?" he asked her, his soft side shining through brilliantly for his daughter, as usual. "I'm not complaining. I love seeing your pretty face so early in the morning. Nothing could put me in a better mood, at the start of the day."

Casey cleared her throat, and he gave her a little side glance, the smile fading away slightly as he rushed to fix his words to include his wife, in some context.

"Um, except your mother- the definition of all that is wonderful," he said, giving Casey yet another reason to believe that Derek was utterly, completely, whipped. She almost laughed; the Derek back in high school had been an absolute ass, but she'd definitely snapped him into shape. He was almost like a real man, now. Emphasis on the almost.

Casey finally looked awake enough to mutter out a few words, and she yawned, propping her hands up behind her body to keep herself in a sitting position.

"Mmm, not that I don't like seeing you two in the morning," she said, sounding like that was the very last thing she wanted right about now. "But why are you awake so early? You know what we said no waking us up until your father has had enough sleep to keep him at least half civil."

Derek glared playfully at her, his eyes still loving and kind underneath the foolishness that he was struggling to achieve.

"I'm very civil, thank you, baby," he said, before looking back to his son, who was still silent on the foot of their bed as he stared up at the lot of them, wide awake. "And not to take sides, but she's right. I'll probably turn into some sort of monster by noon. Why are we up this early?"

"Because, fools, first soccer game of the season is today!" Jayden exclaimed happily. It seemed that not even all of the drama in his life could prevent him from getting excited over his first soccer game. Soccer was one of his true passions, and nothing could keep him from being happy on a day like today. He grinned, giving Derek a pointed look.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

Derek groaned, tilting his head back against the headboards. Of course he knew what that meant. Every year, on the day of Jayden's first soccer game, he'd take the family out for breakfast. It kept Jayden busy, because as happy as he was now, he was usually a sickening mixture of excitement and nervousness, by the time his game rolled around. Distracting him with breakfast usually helped him forget about the pressure of being his team's captain, and being their most valued player for three years in a row, now.

"Alright, I'll get ready," he said, and looked over at Casey. "Do you want to get Kelly ready?"

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded her head sleepily, fighting back the yawn that was working it's way up into her throat; a clear sign that her body wanted a few more hours of sleep. But her kids came first, so she propped herself up on her elbows, and glanced over at the little girl that was currently attached to Derek's neck, bouncing around with excitement and energy. Kelly loved going to restauraunts, and she especially loved getting to go to either one of her big brother's games, and cheering them on. Derek had a feeling that Kelly would take up a sport by the time she was five, just like both of the boys had. He was torn between whether she'd choose soccer, or hockey, since those seemed to be a pattern in the Venturi household. Then again, she might pick something entirely different, maybe not even a sport at all. Whatever became her passion, Derek swore to himself that he would support it. He loved his daughter very much, and whatever made her happy, would make him perfectly happy as well.

Casey smiled faintly at Kelly, and Derek got the feeling that she was still feeling a little bit stomach sick. Her face was oddly pale, and she looked like she was being cautious, as though she thought the tiniest bit of movement could set her off again.

"Do you want to come pick out something to wear?" Casey asked, extending her hand to her daughter. Kelly grinned happily, and squirmed out of Derek's arms. Overwhelmed with excitement, she plopped right down on Casey's stomach, and Derek watched with concern as Casey cringed, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She let out a tiny gasp of pain, and Derek reached out quickly, scooping Kelly up off of her stomach, and sitting her down on the bed, keeping one arm around her small body to keep her from pulling the same sort of act again.

"Whoah now, your Mommy is feeling a little sick this morning," he warned Kelly, whose smile faded into a sad little pout as she examined her mother with apologetic eyes. "Don't jump on her like that, okay?"

"Sorry, Mommy," Kelly murmered, looking like she had committed some sort of a crime. She looked upset with herself, and Casey reached out, smoothing Kelly's hair away from her face gently.

"It's fine, baby," she assured Kelly, whose guilt subsided instantly, once she realized that her mother wasn't mad at her. Derek, who was still holding Kelly, hadn't taken his eyes away from Casey. She hadn't been herself all week, and this was really starting to worry him. She was getting headaches, and she claimed her muscles were sore. She was always lost in thought, and he hated to admit it, but she had been smiling and laughing less and less.

"Case, you sure you're okay?" he asked, and Jayden looked up at Casey as well, equally as concerned.

"Yeah, Mom. You look sorta sick," he noted, in agreement with his father. "Maybe you're getting the stomach flu; Cameron's little sister had that last week. I think it's going around."

Derek shook his head, watching as Casey's eyes closed briefly again, and she rubbed her temple gently with her right hand, as though attempting to ease some of the pain that she was obviously feeling.

"Maybe," she admitted, her voice slightly weak. "But I don't know where the headaches are coming from."

"Do you have another one?" Derek asked, already knowing the answer. He was well on the verge of demanding that she see a doctor; he never let anything involving Casey's well-being go for longer than a week. If it got serious, he always made her see a doctor.

Casey nodded her head, and it was so obvious that she wanted nothing more than about twenty Advil, a nice warm bed, and a long nap. Derek wished he could just make her discomfort go away, but he knew that he couldn't. The most he could do was listen to what she needed.

"I took an Advil at about five o'clock this morning, when I went downstairs for a drink," she noted, shrugging. "I'll be okay for breakfast, and the game; I promise."

It was quite obvious that she wasn't okay, and Derek knew it. He wasn't about to ruin Jayden's game day, and he had a feeling that Casey was telling the truth; she would last until after the game. But he knew exactly what he was doing after the game ended, and no amount of whining or arguing from Casey was about to stop him.

"Fine," he said, nodding his head. "But right after that game, you're going to the doctor."

Casey's eyes widened slightly, and her argumentative side instantly emerged as she shook her head, determined to win this little battle.

"Derek, no," she said, sounding annoyed. "It's just stress; it's nothing I can't handle. I don't need to go to the doctor or anything. I'm fine, trust me. Just learn to relax."

"Don't argue with me," he said, standing up, and swinging Kelly up into his arms with him. "You're going to the doctor; end of story. Now, since you're not feeling well, I'm going to take this little monster in her room to get ready, and you just let me know when you're ready to leave."

"Derek," she started, still shaking her head, wanting to argue.

"Kelly, I swear," he began, looking down at his daughter, his eyes amused. "When you're older, and a man offers to take care of you, don't be as stubborn as your mother. Mind you, any guy you're with had better take care of you, or I'll kick his-"

Casey's eyes widened, and she cleared her throat, attempting to get his attention before he slipped up and got a little too choicy with his words in front of his daughter. He turned his head slightly, seeing that she gave a tiny nod of the head towards Kelly, indicating that he was about to mess up, and he nodded in realization. He struggled to reword his sentence, and finally, he came up with;

"-uh, butt."

Kelly giggled, and Derek nodded at Casey as he walked towards the door.

"Let us know when you're ready," he reminded her, and she nodded. Derek walked out of the room, the door wide open behind him, and they could hear Kelly's girlish giggling echoing somewhere down the hall, as her father no doubt rambled on about how stubborn her mother was, some more.

Jayden glanced up at Casey, his eyes concerned and angry, all at once. He hadn't forgotten what he had seen the night before. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever forget what he had seen. The image of his mother kissing someone, someone who wasn't Derek, would be etched into his mind for a long time to come. He had felt his stomach drop, something that at least symbolized his entire world crashing down. He felt as though someone had taken every ounce of his stabalization and confidence, and dragged it down to some sort of low point that he had hoped he would never have to revisit. He'd been there three times in his life; the first time being when his father had died. He had been so unsure of where he would go, and who would be looking after him, and that feeling of unstability was so sickening to him. The second time had been when Casey and Derek had told him that Casey was pregnant. Of course, his shaky ground had led him to run away that time, and he'd been just as scared. When he had left the hospital, he'd been half unconcious, of course, so that messed him up enough. But the feeling of not being wanted had been twenty times worse, to him. The last time he'd felt his whole world being turned upside down had been during his brief stay with his grandmother, but that had been so much worse, because he had been taken away from the one home and family that he knew and loved.

But now, that family that he loved, the ones who usually kept him stabalized, even when everything else was a mess... he felt like it could fall apart at any second. He held destruction in his hands, and he wanted nothing more than to throw it all away. He wanted to go back to the night before, and erase everything that he had seen. He didn't like hiding things from Derek, or looking at Casey any differently than he ever had in his life. But sadly, those were the things he was facing himself with now, and he couldnt help but wonder if this would ever go away, or be alright.

"Jay?" Casey was saying, and he was pretty sure she had been attempting to speak to him for awhile now. "Jayden, you okay?"

He shook his head to shake himself out of his trance, and he attempted to focus his eyes on Casey. Seeing that she looked confused, he nodded, and swallowed hard.

"Sorry; yeah," he noted, not wanting to let on that anything was wrong. "I'm okay."

She didn't look convinced, but she nodded, concern still playing in her eyes.

"Good," she said, sighing. She apparantly wasn't comfortable, so she decided to change the topic, hoping he'd speak up a tiny bit more than he was now.

"So, what did you do after last night?" she asked, realizing that she hadn't been around to see where Jayden had gone, if anywhere. She could've sworn that his face went a little bit pale, and he shrugged quickly, glancing down at the bed beneath him. He picked at a loose end of the blanket, feeling awkward.

"Nothing really," he noted. He was going to lie and say he never went anywhere, but Derek had driven him to the mall, and he didn't want her to find out that he had lied. She might piece together his reason for lying, if Derek were to mention it.

"I went to the mall with Jordan, Cameron, and Greg, actually," he said, acting like it was no big deal. She paled slightly, and he knew exactly why. "Nothing too exciting."

"Y-You were at the mall?" she stammered, frightened. "I was, um... I was there too. Did you see me?"

Jayden's eyes met with hers, and for one brief moment, he considered letting it all out. He considered telling her that he'd seen her, yelling at her for doing something so horrible to Derek, and demanding that she stop seeing Ryan altogether. But he didn't have the courage it took to potentially destroy his own family, so he shook his head, averting his eyes to the floor.

"No," he whispered, and he tried to tell himself that the stinging in his eyes wasn't tears. "I didn't see you there."

She watched as he kept his head bowed down, and she frowned slightly, concern rising up in her for her son.

"Jayden, are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine!" he yelled, and jumped up off the bed angrily. "I've gotta go; I've got a soccer game to get ready for. If you're coming, be ready soon."

He had only reached the doorway when he turned around angrily, unable to stop the bitter words that were pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall.

"Unless, of course, you've got other plans," he snapped, shaking his head. He wanted to mention Ryan in that statement, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The consquences would be too brutal, and besides, Casey looked hurt enough right about now.

- - - -

"Awesome job, Jayden," one of the other team membes said, walking along next to Jayden. The whole team was crowded around the teenager, with their sweaty foreheads and matted hair. Their new uniforms were already stained with grass and mud, but one thing stood out in each and every one of the boys; they were all fixed with the biggest grins Derek had ever seen. Their team had just won their first game of the season, and Jayden had scored four of their seven goals. The other team had scored a measly three goals, thanks to Jayden. He had ensured that none of their players got near the net very often, with or without the ball. As Derek watched all of Jayden's teamates congratulating him, and clapping their hands on his shoulder, he felt like he couldn't be prouder of his kid. He really had talent, that much was for sure.

Derek was holding onto Casey's hand as they walked a good twenty feet ahead of the team, Kelly bouncing along happily a few feet ahead of them, bending over to pick up pebbles and flowers every couple of seconds. There was a trail of nature left behind her as she would abandon one item, the moment she found a new interest.

He glanced back at the group of boys behind them, his eyes fixed on the guy in the middle; their son. When something occured to him, he turned back to Casey, smirking.

"Who does that remind you of, Case?" he asked teasingly, nudging her shoulder gently. "Perhaps an older, sexier man that you know?"

Casey raised an eyebrow, and Derek rolled his eyes, deciding it was best to give her more hints. Geez, she should've gotten it right at sexy.

"Champion, popular... charming... no?"

Casey paused, then shrugged innocently, as though she didn't know what he was trying to get at.

"Beckham?" she suggested, and he clenched his teeth together as he scowled at her, clearly offended by her lack of compliments. She laughed, leaning further into him as she gave his hand a squeeze.

"Relax, baby," she said, shaking her head. "You know you're the only man I-"

She trailed off, her stomach turning again, and she clamped her mouth shut, falling completely silent. She wasn't even going to finish that statement. She half expected Derek to ask that she finish what she was saying, but he merely smiled softly, kissing the back of her hand as gently as he could.

"I like hearing you laugh," he reminded her, sounding happy. "You haven't been laughing or smiling much lately; did you know that?"

She bit her lip awkwardly, thinking about this slightly. She hadn't really noticed until he mentioned it, but she had been smiling and laughing less and less every single day. She knew that it had to do with Jeff, and with Ryan, and with anything else that was going on in her complicated life right about now.

"I hadn't noticed," she said, shrugging. "It's not something I really pay attention to."

Derek shifted slightly, slowing down a bit as they reached the car, and she leaned up against it gently. Kelly had backtracked to where Jayden was, and he had her up in his arms now that they were on the parking lot. Knowing that she would be fine, he dropped her hand, and rested his own on the car, right next to her head.

"I pay attention to it," he told her, not afraid of being emotional with her. "I love you, Case. I want to look out for you, and lately I've felt like... I dunno, you don't want me to do that."

She frowned, her eyes narrowing at her suddenly opinionated husband. Since when did he feel like that? She wasn't even sure that she understood what he meant.

"What do you mean, Derek?" she asked him, confused. "You know that I love you too."

"I know that," he said dismissively, shaking his head. "There's not a doubt in my mind about that. But it's like... I dunno, ever since Ryan got here-"

Whether it was the mention of Ryan triggering her fear of Derek finding out the truth, or if it was mere annoyance by Derek's constant refusal to let the whole Ryan thing go, she didn't know. She rather felt that she didn't want to talk about it, because Derek was right. Something had finally happened, and she'd let her hormones get the better of her. She couldn't act so righteous with him now that she'd done the one thing he'd been so sure would happen.

"Derek, drop it," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to talk about this with you anymore. God, you talk about Ryan more than I even hang out with him."

He frowned slightly, taking his hand off of the car behind her as Jayden and Kelly stopped a few cars down, saying goodbye to Jayden's team members. Knowing that they had another minute to talk, he shook his head, hurt evident in his eyes, and his confused tone.

"That's not fair, Case," he said, and she knew that he was right. "I'm just trying to look out for you, and keep you happy."

"Well you're not doing a very good job of it," she muttered before she could stop herself. This time, she could practically feel his pain as he cringed, and bit his lip to keep from saying something he'd regret. He stared at the ground, and she prayed to God that he wasn't going to cry. She'd done enough to him already; she didn't think she could handle it if her bitchy words made him cry. She hadn't even meant to say it. She wasn't happy lately, that much was true. But it wasn't because of Derek. That couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, Derek was the only thing that was really keeping her happy anymore, aside from her kids.

"Derek," she said, feeling the need to apologize for what felt like the tenth time that week.

He continued staring at the ground for a moment, before taking a step backwards, and slipping his hands into his pockets casually. Leaning forwards slightly on the bottoms of his feet, he shook his head, his eyes filled with hurt.

"You need to stop saying things like that to me," he told her, sounding like he couldn't believe she was acting like this. "This isn't you, Case. You never say stuff like this to me. You keep on hurting me with these stupid little comments you make, and then you tell me you don't mean them. Well let me tell you something, they mean something to me, when you have the guts to say them to-"

He caught sight of the apologetic look in her eyes, and he trailed off, perhaps realizing that nothing he was saying was making any difference. Their eyes locked for one moment, before he sighed, and broke the connection when he looked away, completely defeated. His shoulders slumped slightly, and she could hear the disappointment in his voice when he spoke again.

"Forget it," he muttered, shaking his head. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just a terrible husband to you."

She felt coldness spread throughout her body, and she felt terrible. He was the most amazing man in the world, and here he was, degrading himself, searching for his flaws. And it was all because of her.

"No, you-" she tried, but he cut her off, looking up at her with confused eyes.

"Save it," he said, his tone not angry, but surprisingly emotionless. "What was I doing, thinking that I could ever keep you happy? I don't even deserve you. I'll never be good enough for you."

Before he could get another word out, Jayden came over to the car with his sister now on the ground, holding tightly to his hand. Jayden's grip on her hand was nearly bruising, but Casey knew it was not meant to be harsh. He was probably just scared to death that if he let go of his sister's hand, she'd meet the same fate as their brother had. Casey didn't really mind; a tight grip was nothing compared to having another child in a coma.

"Hey Dad, can we stop and get some lunch on the way home?" Jayden asked, leaning against his door, and grinning up at Derek, who was still staring off into space. He was absolutely ecstatic, but when Derek didn't answer, he looked from Casey, and back to Derek, his smile fading away. Confusion and fear spread over his features as he frowned, shaking his head.

"Dad?" he tried again, and this time, Derek looked up, his eyes surprised. It was obvious that he hadn't even heard Jayden speaking to him. He managed to force a softer gaze towards his son, and he nodded his head, swallowing hard.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. Jayden frowned even more, his eyes landing suspiciously on Casey for a second, and he looked back to Derek, trying to act like nothing was wrong, and like he hadn't noticed his father's obvious mood swing.

"Can we stop somewhere for lunch on the way home?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow. "You know, before you take Casey to the doctor. Just drop me and Kelly off right after, and I'll watch her."

Derek nodded, averting his gaze to the ground again, and he sighed, hitting the button on the remote starter to unlock all the doors.

"Sure thing, bud," he said quietly, and Jayden grinned, before pulling open his door, and picking up his sister. As Jayden helped Kelly into her carseat, too preoccupied to notice what his parents were saying, Derek turned to Casey, his eyes filled with sadness as he shook his head at her. He took a step forwards, and gripped her hips gently, pulling her to his chest. He held her there, not bothering to even kiss her. His eyes scanned hers, and he gulped nervously, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears. His hand brushed against her cheek gently, looking as though he'd never been this grateful that she was his in his entire life.

And slowly, he kissed her lips, pouring everything he had into it. He didn't rush it; he didn't even try to make it mean anything. He knew that it meant everything to both of them, all on it's own. When he pulled back, he kept his eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against hers. And slowly, he allowed his eyes to open up and meet hers. He shook his head, and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her. No words were spoken right away, but none were needed just yet. They could sense each other's emotions right now, and that was a part of what made them so amazing together.

He buried his face into her hair as he spoke, his lips brushing her ear gently.

"Whatever I did, Casey... I'm sorry," he murmered, his voice shaking. "All I wanted to do was be perfect for you."

She shook her head, pulling back to look him in the eye. Her voice was painfully honest as she answered him.

"You are," she assured him, but he just gave her a sadly realistic laugh, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Obviously, I'm not."

Without another word, he kissed the side of her head, and let her go. He went around to his own side of the car, and got in. And, her entire body shaking with guilt and confusion, she followed his actions.

* * *

**Review, and I will update! **


	16. Divorce

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Chapter Sixteen: Divorce**

Casey met up with Ryan the next day. She didn't want to, because she knew that once she did, her unwanted attraction towards him would come back, and everything that Derek had said to her in the past two days would mean absolutely nothing to her. Well, it wasn't like it wouldn't mean anything, because Derek meant the world to her. But when she was around Ryan... she wasn't even sure what happened. It was like he appealed to a side of her that had been hidden and buried since Jeff had been put in hospital; the side of her that just needed something relaxing, something, or someone, to fall back on.

But she knew that she couldn't avoid Ryan forever, and that they had to talk about it eventually. She couldn't go through another day of not knowing where Ryan thought that they stood. She hoped that he knew she wasn't going to be leaving Derek, or anything like that. He meant more to her than Ryan ever could. That had not, and never would, change.

They had met at Cole's house, because Casey figured that, if Cole was home, nothing could happen. She trusted herself enough to have the common sense not to do anything with Ryan when it was a possibility that they would be caught. But the genius of her idea was proved pointless when she got to the house, and saw that Cole and Kallie weren't even home; they had taken the kids out for the day, leaving Ryan to the house.

Now, they found themselves sitting in the living room of Cole's house. Casey had a mug of coffee clutched tightly in both of her hands, but it was really just something to concentrate on, rather than to drink. She needed to be able to avoid Ryan's gaze without merely staring at the floor. She was on one end of the couch, pressed right up against the arm, and Ryan was a little more relaxed, spread somewhere between the farthest other side, and the middle. He kept trying to make small talk, but she found this to be awkward enough, without having to speak.

Finally, Ryan got on topic, and asked the question that she knew he had been dying to ask all along. Well, one of many.

"Does Derek know?" he asked her, worry clear in his voice as he gave her a sideways glance. She didn't lift her gaze from her mug as she shook her head, giving a gentle laugh in response.

"You wouldn't even be alive right now, if I had told Derek about what happened," she reminded him, and he shrugged in agreement, knowing that it was probably true. She sighed, looking up at the wall opposite from her, her eyes sad and lost.

"Besides, I don't want to hurt him," she said, and his eyes flared with jealousy at the affection in her voice. "I love him so much. It kills me to know that I did anything that could've destroyed our relationship."

Ryan's face went white, and he clenched his fists around the hem of his shirt, swallowing nervously.

"So you're basically saying it was all a big mistake?" he asked, sounding doubtful, but disappointed. "You're saying you didn't mean to kiss me back, you didn't enjoy it, and you didn't want me that night at the mall."

She blushed a little, because she knew that his assumptions were all correct. She had purposely kissed him back, and quite honestly, she had enjoyed it, until the guilt had settled in. She could even admit that she had wanted him, too. Casey was an honest person, and she had no trouble admitting these things to Ryan. But that didn't mean that she felt good about any of it, and it certainly didn't mean she wanted it to happen again.

"Ryan," she began sighing as she laid her mug down on the coffee table, and turned, crossing her legs so that she could sit facing him. "I can admit all of that to you. I wanted you, I kissed you back, and yes, I did enjoy it. I'm not going to lie to you about any of that, alright? But I've got to be honest about something else too. You're a really great guy and all, but-"

"Oh God," Ryan said, shaking his head nervously. "Is this the part where you tell me I'm a great guy, but it just won't work. Because, to tell you the truth, I've heard that line enough, in my lifetime. Once more is just gonna hurt too much, especially from you."

Casey cringed, burying her face into her hands in frustration.

"Don't say that to me, please," she said, shaking her head. Her words were muffled into her skin, and she looked at him through her fingers, completely confused.

"I can't handle you saying that," she said, clearly torn between her choices. "It just makes it so much harder."

"I know," Ryan confirmed, nodding his head as he shifted a little bit closer to her. She would've moved away, but she was already up against the arm of the couch, and it would be too obvious if she just jumped up and switched spots. So she stayed there, trying not to let his proximity alarm her.

"I don't want to make things hard on you, Case," he said, shaking his head. "But this is hard on me too. And I say alot of things I don't mean when I think that someone I care about is going to leave me by myself."

"We can be friends," Casey said, knowing already that this was a bad idea. Her and Ryan could never go back to being friends, could they? There was too much unresolved tension there to ever just hang out like they had before all of this happened.

"I don't want to be your friend," Ryan begged her, shaking his head. "I want to be more than that."

"I'm with Derek," she argued, her voice cracking slightly on his name. "I love him. I've got three kids and a whole life with him. I can't just leave him because of some silly little attraction to you."

Ryan snorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Attraction, Casey?" he questioned, sounding amused. "That's not attraction. I really like you."

"I understand that," Casey said, nodding. She did understand, she really did. She just didn't know how to fix this. If she could go back in time and erase everything that had happened the night of the kiss, she would do it in a heartbeat. She wished she had never kissed Ryan. Now she was stuck dealing with the secrecy and the lies, and the constant fear of her husband finding out what had really gone on with his enemy.

"I know you like me," she said, sighing. "I mean, I obviously realized that from the start. But I'm married. I don't know how you can't see how that's a roadblock, but..."

"They don't have to know," Ryan said quickly, and Casey's eyes widened slightly at his suggestion, as she frowned. "We don't have to tell them anything. Stay with Derek, and your family... I don't mind being on the side, I just want you."

She blinked at him a couple of times, completely shocked by what he had just suggested. Did she look like the sort of person who would have a secret boyfriend? Technically, she guessed that it was no worse than what she had done with Ryan, but she wasn't about to make a committment to a man other than the one she was in a lifelong committment with. She raised her gaze bravely to meet Ryan's, and she drew in a shaky breath, shaking her head.

"I don't love you, Ryan," she said, feeling like she needed to remind him of that. She was beginning to think that he didn't know the difference. But surprisingly, he nodded, not looking like this was new to him. He looked completely unphased, and he shrugged his shoulders carelessly, as though this didn't matter to him.

"I know," he confirmed, and she frowned slightly. "But I mean, if a physical relationship is all I can have with you, I'll take it."

Casey groaned, squeezing her temple slightly with her hands. This guy just wasn't getting the point that she was trying desperately to convey to him.

"Ryan, that wasn't keyword for 'let's sneak around behind my husband's back'," she informed him, shaking her head. "I thought you knew that. When I said I didn't love you, I didn't mean that it was okay for us to have anything together. I meant that we should... we should end it all here."

Ryan swallowed, clearly nervous. She looked into his eyes, and could practically see the wheels turning in his head, struggling to formulate some sort of a coherant thought together. She knew that he was going to argue with her some more, and she really wasn't sure if she could handle that. She wanted this discussion to be over, so that she could leave this place, and go back home to her husband. She knew that the poor guy was sitting at home, moping about being such a failure. He'd barely said two words to her the night before, and when he'd kissed her goodnight, there had been so much sadness in his eyes that she just wanted to cry for making him this way. He was so good to her, and he treated her so amazing, yet here he was, thinking that whatever he was doing wasn't enough. Everything in her mind, and heart, told her that Derek was the man that she was supposed to be with forever. There was no doubt about that, and she knew that choosing Ryan over Derek would be something she would regret for the rest of her life.

Deciding to throw something out that would hopefully shut Ryan up, and convince him that he was making things worse, she spoke up.

"Derek took me to the doctor yesterday," she said, biting her lip as she leaned forwards with her elbows against her knees, her hands dangling between her legs. Ryan raised an eyebrow to motion for her to go on, but he didn't speak. He knew she'd tell him what it had been about anyway.

"They told me I'm depressed," she said, shrugging her shoulders gently. "I don't know how they figure that, but they told me I was. Derek agrees. He thinks I'm not happy anymore."

Ryan shifted a little closer, looking more real to Casey than he usually did. He almost seemed to have a sense of pity for the woman next to him. He bit on his lower lip gently, giving her a concerned look.

"Are you?" he asked softly, sounding confused. "-happy, that is."

Casey thought carefully. Was she happy? She didn't know how to answer that question. What was happiness, anyway? Was it being positive and upbeat, and energetic for every moment of your life? Did you have to always have a smile on your face to be defined as a happy person? Because if that was the true definition of happiness, then she really wasn't sure if anyone was happy. But if happiness was being held by someone who loved you every single day of your life, or being hugged by your kids in the morning, or watching them all together, and knowing that it was all yours- that everything around you was your own life, then yes, she supposed she was happy, up until Jeff had been hospitalized. She had moments where she was proud, or glad to be where she was, but she knew that most of the time, she was upset about Jeff, or confused about the whole situation with Ryan. And she guessed that, in that context, she was not happy anymore.

She knew that her happiness was sort of on an unbalanced scale right about now, and was rocketing up and down faster than a see-saw. Maybe Derek and the doctors were right; maybe she was well on her way to a road of depression, and she didn't even know it.

"I don't know," she admitted, shrugging. "What is happiness anyway? I mean, if you're asking if I'm happy with where my life is right now, then no. I'm not happy. My son's in a coma, and my other son is freezing me out for no reason. Me and Derek are facing a few problems, and I just basically cheated on him, and... oh God... I don't know how much more of this I can handle."

"Much more of what?" Ryan asked, placing a hand comfortingly around her waist, in an attempt to calm her down. She relaxed against his arm slightly, feeling her skin tingle, before she realized that this was exactly the thing she had to put an end to. She shrugged out of his grasp, a scowl appearing on her face.

"Stuff like this!" she cried in frustration, shaking her head as she swatted his hand away from her knee. "Ryan! Give it up!"

He laughed a little, leaning in and kissing the side of her head. She felt herself go a deep shade of scarlet as her eyes widened, and she turned to him, a bit surprised.

"That's not helping anything," she informed him, trying not to let his touch effect her. "Ryan!"

"It's helping me," he mumbled, kissing her neck as he shifted so that he had his arm wrapped around her waist. Evidently, he didn't want to give up on having a physical relationship with her so easily. He had her pinned in against the arm of the couch, one arm around her waist, and the other running along her side teasingly. He was kissing her neck, and she tilted her head back subconciously, triyng to think clearly. That was so hard to do when someone was practically seducing you on your best friend's couch. She felt her eyes flutter closed, and she struggled to open them up.

_'You're with Derek,'_ she reminded herself, trying to keep his face etched into her mind as she tried to find the strength to push him away. _'Derek loves you. You have an amazing husband waiting for you at home. Don't blow this.'_

When his face appeared clearly in her mind, her eyes flew open, and she pressed her hands against Ryan's toned chest, pushing him away from her. There was reluctance in her eyes, but she shook her head, her breathing slightly uneven from Ryan's actions. His eyes were confused, but he smirked as he kept ahold of her waist. He licked his lips contently, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" he questioned, as though he honestly didn't have a clue what he had done that was so wrong. "What did I do?"

"Derek," she said simply, shaking her head. "I can't do this to him."

Ryan's grip on her loosened slightly, and he seemed slightly discouraged. That didn't stop him from trying to further persuade her into his kiss again.

"You already did," he said, shrugging. "The damage is done. Besides, why do you even like me, if he's so amazing?"

Casey's face fell, and she knew that there was no easy way to tell Ryan how she really felt. She'd given this so much thought over the past day or so, and she'd come to some sort of a solution. It really made no sense, even to her, but she knew that, essentially, it was all she had to hold onto, so she had to go with it.

"Derek's so much like Jeff," she murmered, shaking her head sadly. "He loves that little boy just as much as I do. He's our son, and ultimately, he was what brought us together seven years ago. When I found out I was pregnant, he just gave up everything to come back to me. Our kids make us so much happier, and it's like, without one of them there, we're both not the same people. I mean, we still love each other, but I know that we can't help each other, when the other one is going through just as much pain."

Ryan bit his lip thoughtfully, shifting slightly to adjust himself on the couch. He really seemed to be listening to her, but one thing was not quite clear to him.

"What does this have to do with me?" he questioned, sounding curious. "I mean... I still don't see how any of this makes you like me."

Casey shrugged, allowing the corners of her lips to turn upwards into a sad little smile.

"You're just... you're a nice break from all of the drama in my life," she said, knowing that this sounded quite harsh. "You don't even know Jeff, and that's what makes it so much easier to be around you. It's like... you just allow me to forget about everything, if only for a little while. It's no excuse to cheat on him, but it's the only logic I can come up with."

"Do you think Jeff is the reason you're depressed?"

Casey shrugged, shaking her head slowly.

"There's alot of reasons I'm depressed, apparantly," she said, remembering the doctor's words to her. "That wasn't the reason that I was getting sick, or anything. I was just really stressed out, and... well, the last time was probably mostly guilt. But my mood has changed, and apparantly, it's because of that. I dunno, I think Derek must have talked to them beforehand, and explained how sad I've been lately. He's so overprotective sometimes."

Ryan saw an oppurtunity, and he took no hesitance in snatching it up.

"Maybe we can help each other," he said, smiling hopefully, though it was nervous. "I want you, and you need someone to take your mind off of everything."

Casey was silent for a moment, before voicing her thoughts, absolutely amazed.

"Ryan, don't you have a problem with me being married?" she asked, still shocked at his persistancy. "I mean, don't you feel bad?"

Ryan shook his head, blushing slightly. He seemed almost sad as he responded to her question as best as he could.

"I'm already screwed up enough as it is, Case," he reminded her, sounding absolutely defeated. "One more fault in my life isn't going to make a difference."

Without anything left to say, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers. Derek's face flashed in and out of her mind, a desperate reminder that she was taken, she had someone who was absolutely, madly, in love with her. But Ryan seemed to sense this, and he pressed himself up against her a little bit tighter, as though to remind her that it was him kissing her, not Derek. It was clear that he wanted it to be known that he was the one in control, he was winning her, little by little. Not Derek. Maybe Casey would've sensed how much of an asshole Ryan was being right about now, if she wasn't so caught up in trying to push her friend away from her.

But the moment he slid his hand up underneath her shirt, all thoughts of Derek evaporated into thin air, and for the second time that week, she made the mistake of giving Ryan what he wanted; her.

- - - -

Derek was sitting in the hospital cafeteria, poking around at his plate of food. He wasn't eating a single thing. All he could think about was Casey, and how the doctors had told her she was depressed. Casey wasn't a person who you would typically associate with depression. She had been the happiest person that Derek knew, but he knew that she'd been messed up lately. He just prayed that she would be able to get out of this, with the help of the medication that the doctor had given her, to control her stress headaches, mostly, along with helping her feel a little better. He hoped she'd feel okay soon. He loved her more than anything, and he missed his Casey; the girl who was fun to be around, who never said hurtful things to him.

Another, much larger and irrational part of him felt responsible for her current state of mind. He was supposed to keep her happy, and he wasn't doing that. What was wrong with him? He felt like he didn't even deserve her love. He felt unworthy of her affections, these days. He felt like he couldn't fully satisfy her, and that scared him to death. If Casey were to ever leave him, though he knew it was highly unlikely, he wasn't sure how he would be able to carry on like normal. It would be so hard to live his life without Casey in it.

"Derek, dude?"

Derek looked up, and noticed that Cole had been trying to get his attention for the past two minutes or so. He was fixing his friend with a strange look, as though concerned, and Derek managed to smile faintly at him, still lost in thought. Cole and Kallie had dropped by on their way home from a relative's house, and they had brought Derek to the hospital to see Jeff, since Casey had the car. Kallie had brought the kids to the other side of the cafeteria, since they were being incredibly loud, and were disturbing the other occupants of the room. Cole had stayed with Derek, sensing a man to man talk was needed.

"Dude, are you okay?" Cole asked, frowning at his friend. "Not only are you quiet, but you've barely touched your food. When you don't eat, or talk, something is definitely up."

Derek looked up at Cole, and he knew that he could be trusted. Cole had never broken any promises to Derek or Casey, and he knew that this would be absolutely no exception to the rule.

"It's Casey," he said, shrugging. "We're just not connecting lately. I mean, I've been trying harder than ever to keep her happy, but it's like everything I do for her just makes it worse. I feel like I'm boring her."

"You, boring?" Cole repeated, laughing as he shook his head at Derek. "That's funny, man. Really funny."

He caught sight of the serious expression on Derek's face, and he looked slightly taken aback as he recognized this wasn't a joke. He cleared his throat slightly, sitting up a little straighter.

"Wow, we're being serious," he noted, and sighed, biting his lip as he thought hard for something to say. "Okay then..."

"I bought her this," Derek said, reaching into his pocket, and brandishing a little black box, which held something that he had gotten specially made for Casey about a week ago. He'd gotten it in the mail that morning, and he was hoping it might make her feel a little bit better. Cole looked up, raising an eyebrow, and Derek motioned for him to open it. As Cole opened the box with slight curiousity in his eyes, Derek managed to take a tiny bite of macaroni. Cole's eyes widened slightly as he opened the box, and he let out a low whistle, staring at the gift in amazement.

"Dude, what's the occasion?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That must've set you back a fortune."

Derek shrugged as he took the box back from Cole, chewing his macaroni as he closed it, and replaced it back in his pocket. He waved his fork carelessly, a faraway look in his eyes.

"I don't care about the price, as long as it makes my girl happy," he said, and Cole nodded, knowing Derek would do absolutely anything to make his wife happy. "And there's no occasion. I just know she's feeling down lately, and I felt like I should get her something to... I dunno, remind her that I'm still here for her. She's still got me."

Cole nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's nice of you," he noted, thinking that maybe he should do something like that for Kallie, sometime soon. "I'm sure she'll love it."

"I hope so, because I don't know what more I can do to convince her that we're okay," he said, shaking his head as he laid his fork down, sounding like he was speaking more to himself than anything. He changed his mind, focusing his eyes on Cole, and he shook his head, placing his hands in his pockets carelessly.

"That brother in-law of yours... I'm sorry, but I hate him," he said, his voice cold and bitter. "He kick started all of these problems between me and Case."

"What did he do?" Cole asked, sitting up a little bit straighter.

Derek shrugged, visibly shaking with frustration at the mention of his enemy, Casey's friend, Ryan.

"He just... he keeps hanging out with her, and, and..."

He trailed off slightly, squinting at his friend. He wanted to tell Cole about everything that Ryan had said on the phone to him, that day, but he was unsure of whether or not Cole would question Ryan about it. Deciding that he had to be sure, he leaned forwards slightly, taking a deep breath.

"Can I trust you with something?" he asked hopefully, sounding like he desperately wanted to let something out. Cole nodded quickly, eager to know whatever it was Derek was holding in, and he prepared himself, breathing in deeply a couple of times.

"Okay," he said slowly, sounding like he didn't know where to start. "Don't tell anyone any of this, but... after I caught him with Casey that time, he called and asked to talk to me. I thought he was going to just apologize or something, but he basically told me that he was trying to steal Casey from me, and that he was going to win in the end. Dammit, Cole... he was a total jerk about it too. He's trying to just take her away, and he's doing a pretty damn good job of it."

There was no hint of emotion on Cole's face as he stared at Derek, blinking a couple of times. Derek gave a jerk of the head, confused as to why he was receiving no answer from his friend, and he raised an eyebrow, giving Cole a curious look.

"Um, doesn't that... surprise you?" he asked, sort of weirded out that Cole wasn't freaking out about like he had, initially. But Cole merely shook his head, laughing. Derek really didn't see what was funny, but decided not to question it, knowing that Cole would tell him what was apparantly so great that it had to be made into a joke.

"I'm not surprised; in fact, I should've warned you," he said, shrugging. "I thought you knew. He does this all the time, Derek."

Derek paled, clenching his teeth together slightly as he stared at Cole, unsure of what exactly that was supposed to mean.

"Um, does what?" he questioned, feeling suddenly worried. He hoped that this whole 'steal someone else's girl' routine wasn't something that happened often. He hated to think that other guys had to go through what he was going through now.

But much to his disappointment, Cole shrugged his shoulders, and basically confirmed what Derek considered to be the worst.

"He's broken up two marriages by now, Derek," he said, shaking his head. Derek felt nasuea sweep over him, and his hands clenched into fists underneath the table. He would've let loose and hit something, if Cole didn't continue talking like he did.

"A year after he left here, after everything that happened with Casey the first time, we got a call from Kal's uncle saying that Ryan was staying with him. He had some woman's husband after him, because he'd been sneaking around with her for a month and a half. She was really upset, apparantly. He took advantage of the fact that her husband was out of town for business alot, and convinced her it was because he didn't love her. Point is, husband came home, Ryan ran for it, and he finally lost the guy after a month or two."

"And the couple?" Derek asked, feeling absolutely sick to his stomach. "Did they work it out?"

Cole did just what Derek knew he would do; he shook his head, a sad smile on his face.

"Divorced right after Ryan left town," he informed his friend, trying to ignore the look of terror on Derek's already stressed face. "He had her so messed up, D. He had her convinced that her husband was the one at fault, and that he could give her more than he ever could."

"You said there was two marriages," Derek reminded him, not wanting to hear it, but knowing that he had to know everything he could to help his own marriage from sliding down the tubes, just like Ryan's other actions had resulted in. He would never let that happen with him and Casey.

Cole nodded, not looking any happier about this one than the first, which disappointed Derek. He had hoped that this second couple might've had a happier ending than the first. Sadly, he had no such luck.

"They were married for six years, and Ryan came along. He lied to them both multiple times, and convinced the wife that her husband was cheating on her. He claimed that he'd seen him with another woman, and when she got upset, and was vulnerable, he took advantage of it. He's good at manipulating people, D. He can get inside their heads, especially when they're going through a tough time."

"Like Casey," Derek murmered sadly, shaking his head as his eyes wandered down to focus on the table in front of him. What was Ryan telling Casey about him, if anything? Did Ryan have anything to do with Casey's recent lack of interest in him? He couldn't think of anything that Ryan could have against him, but then again, it was Ryan. He was sure that whatever he said didn't even have to be true, as long as it made sense in Ryan's fucked up mind.

"He's got a kid," Cole said quietly, leaning back in his seat. Derek's eyes shot up with surprise and shock, and when he saw that Cole was serious, his face screwed up in disgust.

"Tell me you're kidding," he begged, feeling like he was going to be sick. "That sick bastard, a father? The poor kid. I'd hang myself."

"She's three. Her name is Amy, and she lives in Kitchener," Cole said, sighing. "That first marriage he broke up..."

"That was her kid?" Derek asked, finding all of this hard to take in. "How do you know about it?"

"She called Ryan, once she tracked him down," Cole explained, running a hand through his hair. "She said she was having his kid, and asked him to at least come back. She thought he'd be there for her, since he'd been sweet-talking her for so long, but he basically laughed in her face. He said he wasn't going to be tied down with a kid, and it was her responsibilty. He called her a whore for cheating on her husband, and said she could raise the kid herself. The guy's a bastard, Derek."

Derek had known that Ryan was a horrible person, but to say those sorts of things to a woman who had destroyed their entire marriage for him? To turn away someone who was in desperate need of his help, after he had caused so many problems... he hadn't even expected that of Ryan. He didn't see how anyone could be that cruel.

"Kallie tracked down the woman," Cole said, shaking his head. "She wanted to know her niece. We see Amy at least twice a month, along with her mother, Melanie. Mel's married now. She found someone else, but I know she'll never love him as much as she loved her first husband. But he's a father to Amy, more than Ryan ever will be."

"Has he ever met her?" he asked, completely engrossed in the story that his friend was telling him. All of this was just confirming what he had known all along; Ryan was a dick.

Cole shook his head, laughing bitterly at the question that Derek had just asked. Derek took a shot in the dark, and guessed that this was a blatant no.

"He doesn't even know her name," he said, shrugging. "We try to tell him about her, but he wants no part in her life. I'm telling you, watch out for him. He's like a cyclone, Derek. Everything he touches falls apart, and if there's one couple I never want to see face another problem, it's you guys. Please, be careful. I tried to tell Kallie to convince him to go back, or to at least keep him away from Casey, but there's no stopping him when he wants something. We can't kick him out, and even if we did, he'd go to a hotel."

Derek was completely silent as he stared down at his wedding band, thinking of everything it meant. It symbolized loyalty, and committment. It symbolized his love for Casey, and so much more. How could one guy come in between all of that? They had a life together. Casey would never fall for Ryan, right?

If only Derek knew how much he was unaware of, right now.

* * *

**This was rushed, and I apologize. Exams went terribly, and I'm in alot of trouble. Writing time is going to be cut down a little bit, but I'm going to try my hardest to get the chapters out as best as I can. Don't give up on me yet. I love Dasey! Anyway, review, and I'll update. **


	17. DV and CM

**Okay, so this was shorter than it was supposed to be. I'm going out really soon, and won't be able to finish tonight, so I wanted to get this much out, instead of making you guys wait another day for an update. So it's nothing too exciting. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Seventeen: DV and CM**

The next day was a very hectic one in the Venturi household. The hospital had called at around nine, and asked them to come in at around twelve. Apparantly, they needed to have a talk about Jeff's condition. They didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing, but they knew that they had to go and find out what was so serious that it couldn't be discussed over the phone.

When they arrived at the hospital, Casey was a walking pile of nerves. Everytime she opened her mouth, she felt like she was going to be sick, and Derek kept having to hold onto her hand, for fear that she'd completely freak, if nothing was comforting to her. She was shaky and nervous, and even Derek was slightly worried as they walked directly to the Intensive Care Unit, where Jeff was still being held. This hospital had been his home for a few weeks now, and it was so natural for them to be walking down this hall, that Casey felt like it was normal. Only she knew that nothing was normal about having to visit your child in the hospital every single day, and not even have him open his eyes to acknowledge your presence.

"Relax, Case," Derek said, as they approached the door of the office where Jeff's doctor usually was. "We don't even know if this is bad news, yet. It could be something great. We'll never know until we talk to him."

She tried to convince herself that this was true, and that she shouldn't jump to conclusions, but nothing she told herself was making her feel any better about anything.

"I know," she lied, nodding her head as she swallowed nervously. "Let's just talk to the doctor, and see what he has to say about Jeff."

Derek nodded, and gripped her hand a little bit tighter as they knocked on the light blue door of the doctor's office. He glanced down at his wife and noticed that she was absolutely terrified. He could feel her body shaking next to his, and he knew how hard this was for her. He kissed the back of her hand gently, sending her a shaky smile, which held just as much anxiety as her own features did.

"I'm here for you," he assured her, knowing that he could barely be there for himself, let alone Casey. But she came first, and he was only worried about helping her.

She sent him a tiny smile back, though it was uncertain, and she gave him a tiny nod of the head to show that she appreciated it.

"Thanks," she got out, but didn't have a chance to speak to him again, because the door swung open, and the doctor's face appeared at the door, looking grim. He gave them a polite little nod, opening the door for them to come into his office. They both hesitated, as he usually just brought them into Jeff's room when he had to talk to them. It must be pretty serious, if he wanted to talk to them this privately.

Derek led Casey into the room by the hand, and the doctor closed the door behind them, biting his lip as he crossed the room and sat down in his desk chair. He was silent for a moment, as the couple sat down in the two grey chairs on the other side of his office, and he stared down at his notes, which lay bare in front of him.

"I'm just going to get down to it," he said, taking in a deep breath as he looked up at the Venturis, his expression grim. "Jeff's been in a coma for two weeks now. We had a bit of hope in the beginning, but it's getting slimmer and slimmer every single day. He's not displaying any real brain activity, and..."

Casey gripped Derek's hand until his skin was turning white, and although he cringed, he didn't comment. It was comforting to her, and besides, it took his mind off of some of his own pressure, too.

The doctor examined them both, before deciding to just get the news out there, and over with.

"If he's not awake by a five week mark, we want you to try and make a decision, to take him off life support," he said, sounding as though it was days like these that he regretted becoming a doctor. Casey's face went white, and Derek's own heart skipped a couple of beats, he was sure of it. It was as though their world had stopped spinning, because in their eyes, the world couldn't go on if Jeff wasn't in it. It just wasn't possible. He was their son, their pride and joy. How could they live knowing that he was gone?

"I'm not saying you have to do it," he assured them, shaking his head. "But if a five week mark comes and goes, and he's shown absolutely no improvement... it might be best. I know it's hard, but... with things like these, it's sometimes best to just let go. You'll be doing him, and yourselves, a huge favour, by saving him a life where he won't even know he exsists."

Casey's shoulders were shaking, and Derek barely realized that she had dropped his hand, so that she could bury her face in her hands, to hide her crying. He felt his heart ache for her, and as much pain as he was in himself, he reached over, and rubbed gentle circles on her back to soothe her. His eyes were fixed on the doctor as the man went on.

"We've got some counsellors here in the hospital that are experts on things like this," he explained, trying his best to act like he was neutral in all of this, like emotions didn't affect him. "You can talk to them, to make a better informed decision."

"From a medical point of view..." Derek said slowly, his voice cracking slightly with pain. "What would you think is best?"

The doctor's eyes met with his, and he sighed, knowing that Derek was a man, and he wanted the absolute truth, when it came to the people he loved. He folded his hands together on the desk in front of him, and leaned forwards in his chair.

"From a medical point of view, I'd have to tell you that if your son doesn't wake up by that point, it would be in his best interest to take him off of life support. He'd die peacefully, and I can assure you he'd feel no pain. It could be best for him, not to be living a life that's artificially modified. It might even be best for your family, not to have the constant worry of-"

"Jeff's not a worry!" Derek yelled angrily, his free hand clenching into a fist. "We love him! He's our son; you can't force us to-"

The doctor held up a cautious hand, not looking at all phased by Derek's yelling. Derek figured it was something he probably put up with alot. He tried to breathe in a couple of times, and keep his other hand on Casey's back, comforting her as he listened to the doctor's words.

"Relax, Mr.Venturi," he said, shaking his head. "Nobody is forcing you to do anything. Parental consent from both of you would have to be confirmed before we made a decision. You can keep him on as long as you'd like; this is just a suggestion. And I'm not trying to imply that your son is a burden of any kind. I'm just trying to help."

Derek breathed in a few times, clutching Casey closer to him as she cried, still unable to say anything. He knew that some of the things the doctor was saying made sense, and that he should consider it, but the very thought of giving someone permission to let his son die... it was just completely unbelieveable to Derek.

And he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to make a decision such as that one.

The doctor closed a folder that was open on his desk, probably filled with Jeff's medical files. He cleared his throat, and pushed back his chair, signalling that whatever business he had with them was done. He gave them a quick and polite nod, knowing that he should leave before anything got too emotional with them.

"We'll keep in touch," he said, standing up and pushing his chair back in. "As I said, we've got a counsellor who would be more than happy to help you make an informed decision, something that would be best for your son. And if you have any questions, or you need anything, anything at all... you know where I am."

Without another word, he strode from the room, closing the door behind him. Derek didn't have to say a word as he leaned over, wrapping his arms around Casey's tiny body. He held her as she cried, and he wanted desperately to comfort her, but no words were coming to mind, because nothing could fix this. He held her close as he sighed, laying his head against her shoulder. The doctor had said he could ask for anything... anything at all...

"How about my old life back?" he whispered, as Casey cried on in his arms.

- - - -

By the time they got home, Derek and Casey were both absolutely exhausted. It had definitely been a long day, one that had not been easy on either of them. Hearing medical professionals tell you that your son may be better off if you allow him to die was never something a parent wanted to hear. They didn't want to unplug Jeff'f life support. He was their baby, their little boy. It wasn't like he could just be replaced, once he was gone. If Jeff were to die, he would be etched into their memories forever, and they both knew that not a day would go by where they wouldn't remember him, or wish that their child was still there with them. The thought of having to make such a horrible decision was just unthinkable, and neither of them could quite grasp the 'What ifs' that they might have to live with for the rest of their lives. Derek himself knew that, sixteen years down the road, when Kelly was graduating from high school, he'd be thinking 'What if Jeff had gotten this oppurtunity?'

And that wasn't something he wanted to have to question. He wanted to be able to attend Jeff's graduation, just like he would attend Jayden's, and eventually Kelly's. He wanted to watch him grow up, go out on dates, even make the odd mistake. He wanted to watch him meet that perfect girl for him, and then watch as he became just as utterly whipped as Derek had become over the years. He'd love teasing his son about something like that, but now he knew that he may never get the chance.

Casey was sitting on the couch when Derek entered the living room at around eleven thirty, tossing his jacket onto the loveseat as he made his way over to the couch. Casey was curled up gently against the arm of it, biting her lip gently in thought. He had to smile at the sight of her. She was wrapped up in one of his zip-up sweaters, and she had on pink plaid pajama pants. Her hair was falling over her shoulder carelessly on the right side, but resting against her back on the other, falling in gentle little waves. He had to admit that she looked absolutely adorable right about, but then again, she always did when she was thinking hard about something. He didn't even have to ask what she was thinking about, because he just knew. The same thoughts were running through her head right now, and he didn't have to open his mouth without knowing that she was confused, and hurting right now.

He made his way over to the couch, and sat next to her, wrapping an arm gently around her shoulders. She didn't even speak as he pulled her closer to his side, kissing the top of her head, and burying his face into her hair contently. At the end of a day, Casey could always make him feel better, no matter what had gone wrong. And today, he definitely needed her help to cheer up. Nothing else would make the day better, at this point.

"We don't have to decide anything right now," he said, knowing what worries and questions were floating through her mind. "We've got like, three weeks, Case."

She shook her head, her eyes fixed on some point across the room. He glanced over at the general direction in which she was staring, but could not see anything worth looking at. He knew that she was just too distracted to bother looking anywhere that would make any sort of sense.

"I know that," she said, sighing. "But even three weeks... it hardly seems like enough time to make a decision about something as big as this. He's our son, Derek. He's not just... something that we can throw away, make a decision about in a split second. I don't think I'll ever fully be ready to take him off of life support."

"So we won't," Derek said, shrugging. "The doctors can't force us to do it."

She looked for a moment like she was going to argue, and she stared into his eyes, hesitating. He waited patiently for her response, but after a moment, she changed her mind, and looked away again. She rested her hand on his knee gently, sighing.

"We're going to have to do some serious thinking over the next few weeks," she said, knowing that this was the truth. "I don't want to push this aside completely, but for tonight... I don't want to think about it. We've handled enough already, today."

"Then I won't mention it again," he said softly, wrapping his other arm around her waist, and linking his hands together against her waist. He had a complete hold on her now, and he squeezed her a little bit tighter to him. He half expected her to turn and kiss him, or to at least make some sort of movement to show that she was interested, but she was completely unresponsive to his touch. She sat there stiffly, not even bothering to react to him, and he frowned slightly, pulling back with a hurt and confused look in his eyes.

"Casey?" he questioned, not understanding why she was so unresponsive to him. Sure, she was distracted, but it was her that had just suggested they not talk about their situation anymore tonight. In fact, he had a feeling that it had more to do with him, than anything else.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked her, concern flickering through his eyes dominantly, softening his features considerably. "You've got the sexiest guy on earth wanting to make out with you, and you're not even happy about it."

He was attempting to make her laugh at his egotistical statements, but she didn't even crack a smile. In fact, he wasn't even sure that she had heard him. Her eyes were fixed with an icy, distant sort of emotion, and she seemed to be completely zoned out to everything around her.

Pulling back a little, he studied her with concern.

"Those medication the doctors prescribed," he noted, worry sweeping over him instantly. "-have you been taking them?"

"Yes," she said honestly, her tone equally as distant as her eyes were. "Of course I did. They told me to, didn't they?"

"Well, yeah..." Derek said slowly, slightly shaken by her saucy attitude towards him. "But I was just checking. I want you to get better, you know."

"Mhm," was all she said, and his face fell with disappointment. His mind wandered to the little black box in his pocket, which he had been carrying around for two days now. Her gift was in it, brand new and just for her, but he hadn't found the right time to give it to her. Between their kids, and her recent attitude, he wasn't sure if there would ever be a right time to present her with it. He hoped it would cheer her up, but he wasn't sure if much of anything could do that, anymore.

But he knew it was worth a shot, and that he couldn't really put her in a worse mood right about now. So he unwrapped his arms from around her, and sighed, reaching into his pocket.

"I was saving this for another time, but... I don't know, I think you could use a lift right about now."

Her eyebrows furrowed together slightly, and she shifted, looking vaguely interested in whatever it was he was about to do. Slowly, he extracted a tiny black box from his pocket, and he held it out to her, looking absolutely exhausted. He'd find it in him to say something quirky, or sarcastic, but all that was left in him now was sadness, and that was all he knew how to deal with today.

"I wish I could say something to cheer you up," he said, shrugging gently as he held onto the box, his fingers running over the smooth velvet carefully. "I'm not good with words, and you know that. But I bought you this for a reason, Case. The past few weeks have been so hard on me and you, and the rest of our family. If anyone deserves a break, it's us, but it's clear to me that we're not really magnets for good luck."

She nodded slightly in agreement, dying to know what was inside the box. She assumed it was jewellery, but with Derek, there was no being certain. She waited for him to continue, and after a moment, he did.

"I hate emotion," he said, shaking his head. "You know I hate getting emotional, and it's a rare occasion when I open up like this. But I know you're feeling like you don't belong anywhere right about now, and I want you to know that...well, Casey... you belong with me. All that stuff I said about not deserving you, it was true. It was so true, and I still believe it. I've never felt like I've deserved you. Back in high school, everytime a guy laid eyes on you, I'd feel threatened, because I felt like you could so easily pick one of them over me anyday. That's so unlike me, because you know how I was, before. I used to be so sure of myself, but when it came to you, I always felt like I could be so easily replaced."

She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek gently, and he jumped slightly as her hand brushed his skin. She frowned, cupping his cheek in her hand to calm him, and he relaxed into her hold, continuing his story.

"Now that all of this is going on, I've just come to appreciate you alot more," he said, shrugging absent-mindedly. "I just want you to know that I'd never have gotten through any of this without you here with me. You mean the world to me, and even if I don't deserve you, I'm so happy I have you, because... because you just make me a hell of alot stronger than I would be if I was alone. I love you, Case... and... and it just makes my life so much brighter to know that you love me too, that I have a girl like you in my life."

There were tears in her eyes, and to say that she felt like absolute crap would be an understatement. She felt like she should be exiled, or something. Here Derek was, proclaiming his love for her, letting everything out, and she was cheating on him. How she had ever landed such an amazing guy, she didn't know. All she knew was that Derek was right. He didn't deserve her, just not for the reasons he thought. He did't deserve her because he deserved someone so much better. He deserved someone who would be faithful to him, who wouldn't bitch at him and hurt him all of the time. He deserved someone who would treat him like he deserved to be treated, because Derek was perfect, to her.

"Derek," she said slowly, shaking her head through tear filled eyes. "Don't... don't say you're not enough for me. That's not true."

"You could've done better," he sighed, looking disgusted with himself. "But as selfish as it is, I'm glad you chose me. Anyway, here... this is for you. I really hope you like it... I had it designed for you, I figured you liked stuff like this."

Slowly, she took the box from him, her hands shaking slightly at how personal this conversation was. She glanced up at him one more time, and saw that he looked slightly nervous. Knowing it was best to put his mind at ease as quickly as possible, she sighed, and opened the box up.

Inside, was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen. It was on a tiny silver chain, and had a heart shaped locket dangling from it. The locket was also silver, but had little diamonds engraved onto the front of it, making it glisten in the faint light of the lamp behind her.

"Open it up," he said, smiling when he noticed that she was absolutely speechless. "Go on."

She did as he said, and gasped as she saw what he had engraved on the inside. One half of the locket read 'CM', for Casey's original initials, he supposed, and the other half read 'DV'. The intials were written in some sort of a pretty cursive, and she knew that he'd put her real initials there as a sign of respect.

"Oh my God, Derek..." she breathed out, lifting it up. "It's absolutely gorgeous. How did you... how could you afford..."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he asked her, sounding like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. "You're all that matters. I don't care how much it cost me. It makes you happy."

She couldn't take her eyes off of the silver locket that was dangling from her hand gently as she responded to him, her words contradictory to her reaction to the jewellery.

"You don't need to buy me anything to keep me happy," she informed him, shaking her head, and he laughed slightly, kissing the side of her head. He was relieved whe, this time, she responded by leaning against his side, looking up at him through amazed eyes.

"Well you don't seem to be having a problem with it right now," he noted, nodding towards the smile on her face. "So you like it?"

It was an unnecessary question, and they both knew it. Of course she liked it; in fact, she absolutely loved it. The smile that was stretched widely across her face told him everything he needed to know about her emotions at that very moment. She turned, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and hugging him close to her. His eyes widened slightly as he shakily wrapped his own arms around her waist, surprised that she was hugging him. With everything that had gone on in the past week or two... with all of the fighting they'd been doing, it was amazing to have her in his arms like this, initiating a hug, showing him how much she loved him, too.

"I love it, Derek," she said, nodding her head against his own as his eyes squeezed shut gratefully. "And I love you too. More than anything."

"I needed to hear that," he murmered into her hair, feeling about twelve emotions sweeping over him all at once. "You're the world to me. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you here. I owe so much to you, and I... I just wanted to thank you for being here for me, and sticking with me through everything."

Her mind flickered momentarily to Ryan, and the things she'd been doing with him over the past few days. She'd never let it get past making out, but that was bad enough. She was married, and here was the world's most amazing man, saying that his love was just for her, and she was throwing all of it away.

Derek brushed her hair back away from her face on one side, pushing the light brown strands over her shoulder and down her back. His hand came up slowly, rising to a parralell with her face as he gripped her chin gently, his face mere inches from hers. She could see every fleck of his eyes looking right into hers, full of curiousity and love, and though she had nothing to smile for, she found that the corners of her lips had tugged upwards into something resembling a lazy smile. She wasn't sure what she was smiling over, but when Derek ran one hand nervously down her side, his hands sliding up beneath her shirt to rest on her warm skin, she knew that she was smiling because of Derek. Even when she had nothing to smile over, he was there for her, reminding her that she had a purpose in life, and one of those purposes was to be with Derek, and make him happy, as difficult as he could be sometimes.

His free hand tugged at the hem of her shirt, a hint that it was in his way, and she giggled slightly, trailing one hand down to grip his. Her fingers closed gently around his wrist, and he gave her a confused look, unsure of why she had stopped him. She moved his hands up a little, and let it rest at parralell with the other, right above the hem of her shirt. She smiled at him as she released his wrist, and encircled her arms around his neck again. She was smiling at the confusion in his eyes, and she let a soft laugh escape her lips.

"We're in the living room, baby; not the sort of thing Jayden and Kelly want to walk in on."

Derek shrugged carelessly, still looking amazed that she was getting along this well with him. It was as though he hadn't expected her to react this way to his words. And it really was his words that had gotten to her, not the necklace. The necklace itself was gorgeous, and she absolutely loved Derek for such a sweet gesture, in such a horrible time. What they said about girls was true; shopping really could be a best friend, especially when it was your man's money being spent. But even if he hadn't gotten her that necklace, even if he'd just said those words to her... it would've been enough. It was a rare occasion for Derek to open up like he had tonight, but when he did, he always managed to bring a tear to her eyes. She didn't understand how he thought he was bad with words, because it was times like this that she had to wonder where he came up with such sweet things to say.

"They've got to grow up sometime, haven't they?" Derek asked softly, but they both knew he was only kidding- mostly, anyway. When she merely smiled and shook her head at him, he sighed, pretending to be disappointed. His grip on her waist tightened slightly, and he leaned in, pressing one gentle kiss firmly to her lips. She went to kiss him back, but it was over before she had a chance. He'd pulled away, biting his lip gently, and he smiled at her.

"You're right; not the thing Kelly and Jayden want to see," he teased, grinning when she pulled one hand away from his neck to smack his shoulder gently.

"Derek!" she said, annoyed at him for his teasing. "Fine; maybe we just won't do anything in the house anymore, if you're that concerned about the kids."

His eyes widened slightly, and he watched as she wiggled out of his grip, and moved to stand up. She purposely went slow, knowing that he was going to try and stop her, and she smirked when he grabbed her hand , and pulled her back down into his lap. She laughed as he turned her around in his lap, so that she was straddling his waist. She grinned at him, running one hand through his hair, pushing it back off of his forehead.

"You're cute when you're defensive," she reminded him, planting a kiss on his forehead happily. "You know that, don't you?"

"I'm always cute," he said proudly, his egotistical side shining through colorfully. Her hair had fallen over her shoulder again, and brushed against his cheek gently as she kissed the top of his head. He pushed it away, his eyes lingering for a moment on her neck. He looked momentarily confused, before laughing, reaching down to grip her hips gently in his hands.

"I'm getting that good, am I?" he said, nodding towards her neck. She didn't know what he was talking about, so she glanced down casually, and noticed a hickey forming on her neck. She felt her stomach turn as her mood instantly changed, and her face went blood red with embarassment. Could Derek put the pieces together without any real information? She doubted it; the guy couldn't to a crossword puzzle, but then again, he had his moments. He wasn't as stupid as he seemed, sometimes.

"Wh-What do you..." she started, and when she was unable to finish, he leaned up, letting go of her hips with one hand so that he could nudge her chin downwards. She looked into his eyes, terrified that he would see the truth in them, but he merely grinned, and pecked her lips gently with his own.

"I'm getting so good that I don't even remember putting those there, anymore," he said, shrugging, and she felt a mixture of nausea and relief sweep through her. She was relieved that Derek didn't know the truth, but nonetheless, the thought that she was basically lying to him again was knawing at her concious terribly.

"Er, right..." she said slowly, nodding her head. Her voice was shaking on every syllable, and she was certain that he was going to notice how freaked out and nervous she was. But he merely laughed, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Either that, or you're cheating on me," he offered, looking amused. "But we both know you'd never do that. I mean, you're Casey."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, after the initial shock of his words had settled into her mind. "You think I'm perfect?"

"Of course I do," he said, laughing. "You _are_ perfect, for me anyways. And I trust you with all my heart. I've got no doubt in my mind that you're faithful, and that you'd never cheat on me. I saw how angry you got before, when I almost slept with that girl. Your morals are way too high to ever do something like that."

Casey felt like she had fallen, and someone was kicking her in the gut again, and again, and again, and... well, the point is obvious. She just felt like an absolute bitch. Derek had so much faith in her, and he was so confident that she would never do anything to hurt him. If only he knew where she'd been the night before, and who she had been kissing. If only he knew that the markings on her neck weren't even from him, but were from his rival, Ryan. If only he knew that the woman he had so much faith in was secretly doing something that would absolute destroy him, if he knew.

If only he knew.

She knew then that she had to stop. She had to call it off with Ryan. She wasn't in too deep yet; there was still time to get out of this mess. She knew that, if she just distanced herself from Ryan, and spent all of her time focusing on Derek, the perfect man for her, she'd be okay. She'd get through this. Derek's love would help her realize just who she was supposed to be with, and who her mind was supposed to be focused on. She'd spend every minute of every single day with Derek, if only it meant that her mind and heart would only be concentrated on him, again.

She closed her eyes tightly, and hugged him contently, knowing that this was right. Derek was right. He said that she had helped her through everything, and she knew that she'd need his help to get through this whole Ryan thing, even if she wasn't going to tell him about what had really happened.

"Derek," she murmered, her face buried into his neck, resting against his warm skin.

"Mhm?" he got out, his words muffled into her hair. "What is it, baby?"

"Let's go upstairs," she said, pulling back to look him in the eye. "Me... you... quality time..."

"Sold!" Derek delcared, practically jumping to a standing position. He caught her around the waist, and pulled her to him as they stood, pressing his lips to hers. She didn't give him a chance to pull away this time. As he went to pull back and grab her hand, she reached up, grabbing the back of his head gently to pull him closer to her. He made a little noise in the back of his throat, surprised by her sudden effort to take over the kiss. She knew that it had to mean something if Derek's face flashed into her mind whenever she kissed Ryan, but she could barely remember what Ryan looked like the second her lips touched Derek's. It was like nothing else mattered, when Derek was with her. She didn't have to feel bad, or worry about anyone else caring, because their relationship was all that mattered to either of them.

She felt him pushing her back against the couch again, and as the back of her knees hit the cushion, they buckled, and she felt herself slip backwards. Her grip on the back of Derek's neck caused him to crash down with her, but amazingly, neither one of them broke the kiss. He kept a firm hold on her waist, and used his grip to shift over on top of her, pressing her down against the couch happily.

"Derek," she murmered, trying to get his attention, though she knew he was only focused on her lips, right about now. He shook his head gently, not breaking away.

"Don't ruin it," he muttered, between kisses. "Please..."

She pulled back, watching as fear shot through his eyes. She almost laughed; he was adorable when he thought one of their little make-out sessions were about to stop. He probably thought that her concious was going to get to her, and she'd claim that they couldn't do this down here.

"Casey, c'mon..." he said, his voice almost whining. "I'm a guy, you can't just do this to me."

"I was just gonna say," she said, smirking as she gripped the back of his neck gently, trying to keep him interested. She was pretty sure that nothing but food or hockey could avert his attention from her now. She had total control, right about now.

"Get on with it," he begged, knowing that she was going slow for the sole purpose of driving me crazy.

She grinned, her lips mere centimeters away from his.

"The kids are already in bed," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "Staying down here is starting to sound like a better idea to me, as long as we're up early."

His worried frown turned into an excited smirk, and he reached for the lamp behind them, the only source of light in the room, right now.

"I like the way you think, woman," he said proudly. And no more words were needed as he pulled the switch on the lamp, sending them into total darkness. His lips found hers again, and she knew that Ryan could never give her anything like this.

* * *

**This chapter was all over the place, in terms of moods, but I wanted to fit some Dasey in there. How long do you think Casey's whole resolution to stay away from Ryan will last? Hehe. I warn you, the drama picks up after this chapter. Big time. I'll probably be skipping about two or three weeks, to the point of where the decision has to be made, because really, nothing interesting will be happening in between, and I'd be rambling if I tried to fit something into nothing. Anyway, review, and I'll update. **


	18. Behind Your Back

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. And there is slightly more swearing than usual in this chapter, just to let you know. **

**Chapter Seventeen: Behind Your Back**

It had been three weeks since Derek had given Casey the locket, which she hadn't taken off since. Three weeks since the doctors had told them it was essential to start thinking about a permanent arrangement for Jeff. And it had been three weeks since Casey had last spoken to Ryan, at which she had said that their little affair could not continue; that she had to be loyal to Derek. He hadn't exactly taken the news well. She had purposely arranged for the conversation to take place over the phone, so that Casey couldn't even be persuaded into staying, and Ryan couldn't make a move to change her mind. He'd tried to talk her into sticking with him, saying that maybe she needed him as much as he needed her, but she'd merely repeated her opinion, and hung up the phone.

She'd avoided going to Cole's, which wasn't that hard. She had found herself growing farther and farther away from Cole over the past few weeks, since Jeff's hospitalization. It wasn't his fault; it was her fault. He'd been calling her, and trying to get her to hang out, but Cole knew her just as well as Derek did. And the one difference between the two of them was that Cole could take one look at her, and call her out on her lies. Derek could do the same, but the poor man seemed to be too blinded by his own pain to do that, lately. She knew she was probably hurting her best friend, and she promised herself that she'd make some plans with him soon. It was just hard to hang out with someone when all you wanted to do lately was be alone.

She was still taking her medication, and Derek had gotten her a higher doseage on her anti-depressants. He was completely freaking out over how distant she'd become, and she knew it, but everything that was happening to her son was just too much to handle. Aside from that, her feelings for Ryan were still there, and she hadn't figured them out yet. It wasn't like she loved him- not even close. She didn't even like him that much. But her encounters with him were like a drug of some sort. They just helped her relieve some stress, connect with someone who claimed to understand what she was going through. She knew she was using him, and that it was wrong, but she'd stopped. She had no intentions of going back to him, and she knew that it would all be okay.

On that particular morning, two days after the five week mark that the doctors had mentioned to them, Casey woke up to the sound of a car horn beeping somewhere outside. She didn't bother to open her eyes as she felt the sunlight on her face, sprawled out across her bedroom wonderfully. She smiled gently, and stretched a little as she felt the spot next to her for Derek. When all she felt was the bedsheets, she blearily opened her eyes, and saw that he wasn't there. She blinked a few times, and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She wasn't well adjusted to the morning sunlight yet, and she squinted as she looked around the room for a hint of Derek. When she didn't see him, she groaned, and tilted her head back slightly.

"Derek!" she called out, her voice sounding slightly whiny, and tired. "Baby, where are you?"

There was silence, before she heard footsteps outside the door. When she heard the doorknob turn, she leaned back against the headboards, biting her lip as she smiled lazily. Derek walked in through the bedroom door, his eyes curious. He was holding a glass of water, and his other fist was closed gently over something. He gave her a tiny smile, and crossed the room, taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"Morning, beautiful," he said, leaning in for a quick kiss. She pecked him happily on the lips, and he held the glass of water out to her. She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head at him.

"I'm not thirsty; thanks anyway," she said, holding a hand up. He rolled his eyes, and pressed the glass into her hand. She frowned, but closed her hand over the item, raising the glass to her lips. She took a sip, drawing the blankets around her waist a little bit closer as she gave Derek a curious look. He held his other hand out, and she understood when she felt her medication being pressed into her hands.

"Take them nice and early... it'll make you happy for the day," he said, then frowned as she tilted her head back to take a gulp of water. "-or so I hope," he added, and sighed, watching as she dropped her medication into her mouth, swallowing. She cringed slightly, rather feeling like she'd taken too much water, but managed to shake her head, and get rid of the weird feeling in her throat.

Derek reached out, smoothing her hair back away from her face as she took another sip of water, this one much smaller.

"Do they help you at all?" he asked curiously, sounding like he honestly was interested by this. "I mean... I don't understand, you know that. I don't understand how you feel without them."

She bit her lip, drawing her knees to her chest as she placed her glass down on the endtable next to her bed. She hugged her arms against her knees as she stared off towards the floor, looking somewhat lost in thought. It was obvious that she was trying to think of something to say, something that could explain how she was feeling. She looked torn, like she had no words to describe her feelings, right now. Finally, she merely shrugged, unable to think of anything suitable.

"I feel..." she got out, not looking up from the floor. "I feel... like... I don't know, Derek. I don't know how to explain it to you."

"Try," he begged her, shifting closer to her, his eyes searching hers desperately. "Please, Case. I just want to know how you feel... do you blame me at all? Do you feel like you're this way because of something I did? Am I not trying hard enough? I'm trying my hardest... really, I am. If it's not enough, I can-"

"Derek!" she said, her hand reaching out to stroke his cheek gently. He fell silent at the feeling of her hand on his skin, and he bit his lip anxiously, waiting for her to tell him that her depression wasn't his fault- that he was doing a good job of taking care of her, like he was supposed to.

"You're amazing, okay?" she said, and he couldn't help but smirk a little at her comment, feeling that her words were true. She caught sight of the mischevious gleam in his eyes, and she rolled her own, pinching his cheek playfully.

"-and you're very egotistical," she threw in, at which he shrugged carelessly.

"It's worked for me so far, I figure I might as well keep it up. Besides, you know it's true."

"Derek," she said pointedly, fixing him with a serious look, and he grinned, placing one hand on her knee happily. She rolled her eyes again, and he flopped down next to her, his head against his own pillow. He reached down to find her hand, and he laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"So," he said, sighing. "Do you want to go to the hospital today?"

They had been visiting Jeff as often as they possibly could. Usually, they managed to get to the hospital once a day. The only exception was on days that Jayden or Kelly had to be somewhere, or it was just way too hectic. There had been no improvement whatsoever on their son's condition, and the moment that the five week mark had arrived, the doctors had been badgering Derek and Casey about making a final decision. When it had gotten to the point that Casey had been getting panicky, and feeling rushed, Derek had told them to stop, using slightly harsher words than intended. He said that he didn't want anyone putting anymore stress on Casey than need be.

But they both knew, despite how much they were fighting the doctors on it, that a final decision had to be brought forwards, and soon. Jeff wasn't getting any better, and there was no sign of it happening anytime soon. They both knew it, even if they weren't entirely willing to accept it.

But what Derek didn't know, was that Casey had been spending the past three weeks doing a hell of alot of thinking. She'd considered every aspect of their situation. She'd turned it and twisted it so much that she was pretty sure she knew every possible outcome of each choice. She had been contemplating talking to Derek about her opinion, but she was scared of what he would say. Would he be mad at her? She couldn't handle that. But what scared her more was if he agreed with her... because that would mean that their decision was absolutely final. And what if it turned out to be the wrong choice? Once they did this, there was no turning back.

"Derek," she said slowly, as she lay next to him on the bed. She held up their entwined hands, examining them as though they were the most interesting thing in the world. Truth was, her stomach was fluttering nervously, and she felt like she could throw up then and there. Things had been pretty good for the past few weeks, ever since she'd stopped seeing Ryan, and Derek had given her that locket. They'd been connecting on a whole new level since that night, one that had been long forgotten since the accident. She hadn't realized until it had returned how much she had missed connecting with him like that. They'd barely fought once over the past few weeks. And she was just scared that stating her opinions were going to screw everything up for them now.

"Yeah?" he questioned, his eyes closed as he lay there on his back, enjoying the feeling of getting along with her, for a change. "What is it?"

"I've been doing alot of thinking," she said, drawing in a deep breath.

Derek snorted, and she knew without looking that he had an amused little smile forming on his lips.

"Of course you have," he put in, shrugging one shoulder. "You're Casey. Thinking is like breathing to you, by now. It's just essential."

"Sorry for having a brain," she put in, and he was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly she meant by that. After a moment, the smile faded away, and his eyes shot open as he turned his head to look at her, scowling with mock-fury.

"Hey!" he cried, clearly offended. "Not nice, Case."

"Oh shut up," she said, and despite his bruised ego, he fell silent, wanting to allow her the chance to say what she was going to say. It was obvious that it was important.

"Anyway," she said, relaxing once she realized that he was going to cooperate. "I was sort of thinking about everything the doctors told us... you know, about making a decision."

"Right," Derek said, sounding annoyed. "Like I could forget about that, with all of their annoying little lectures. _He's comatose. He can't feel a thing. He doesn't even know he exsists._" Derek mimicked, his voice sickeningly high pitched. He looked disgusted, and he shook his head, closing his eyes again.

"They disgust me," he said, and Casey fell silent, chewing on the inside of her lip gently. How could she tell him what she needed to tell him, after that? He'd despise her for it.

But she knew that she had promised herself to try and be honest with him, from now on, so she took a deep breath, cringing slightly as she began to speak.

"I know you hate what they're telling us," she said, trying to agree with him on as many points as possible. "And... dammit, Derek... I hate it too. There's nothing worse than hearing that your child's life is in your hands. I don't know how anyone can cope with this... or how someone can ever live with the decision afterwards..."

"Me neither," Derek said, probably thinking that she felt the exact same way as him. He took a deep breath, and squeezed her hand a little harder, wanting her to know that he was there for her, he supported her.

"So then it's pretty obvious what we're going to tell them, when we go down there today, right?" he asked, sounding completely confident in himself, and their unison on the matter. "We're going to tell them that we've made a decision, and they can't change our minds on it."

"Yeah," Casey agreed, closing her eyes tightly, knowing that they weren't agreeing at all on this, even if he didn't know it yet. "We've made a decision... right..."

"So when we go down there, we're going to tell them that we-"

"-think it's best if they take Jeff off life support," she cut in, before he could finish. Her eyes hurt from being squeezed shut so tightly, and she could feel her spare hand clutching the bedsheet beneath her desperately, needing support. She felt her stomach turn, and she almost stood up to race to the bathroom, and empty the contents of her stomach. She hadn't said the words aloud before, and now that she had... they were sickening.

What was worse was Derek's reaction. She felt his hand tense within her own, and his entire body go stiff next to hers. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see him, but she felt movement next to her. Derek propped himself up on one elbow, turning his head to look at her. His eyes were full of so many emotions at once- confusion, hurt, shock... and anger. There was definitely anger. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to come to some sort of a conclusion about what she had just proposed to him, but he had nothing. It took him a few moments to even stutter a few words out, and when he did, they were shaky.

"Wh-What did you just say to me?" he asked, and her silence spoke a million words. His jaw dropped, and he shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her angrily.

"Tell me you're joking," he begged of her, half hoping that this was a sick joke, that she wasn't being serious. "You're freakin' kidding me, right? You w-wouldn't seriously want to take Jeff off of... off of life support. H-He's... our son, Casey."

"I know," she whispered, her palms sweaty as she struggled to explain herself to him. "I know he's our son, Derek. That's why we have to do this."

"That makes no sense!" he said, sounding like he was somewhere between yelling, or crying. She couldn't tell which emotion was more dominant right now, and she was sure that the tiniest comment could swing the balance of his emotions into a dominant sense of anger, or hurt.

"It does make sense," she murmered, tears welling up behind her closed eyelids. "Derek, if we love him... if we really, truly, put his interests before ours, you'll realize that we have to do this."

His hand was instantly yanked out of hers violently, and he sat up straight, shaking his head at her with disgust. Her eyes opened up, and she felt her heart beat wildly in her chest as she saw the anger flashing through his eyes. His face was blood red, and disbelief was written all over his features. She had known that he would not take this news well, but she didn't think he'd take it this badly. She sat up, using her hands to keep her body propped up.

"Think about it," she said, shaking her head. "How would you like to spend the rest of your life hooked up to machines? He's living through those now, Derek. He's not even there. You know it, I know it, and I can tell you right now that, if Jeff could think at all, he'd know it. Do you really want to watch your son spend the rest of his life unconcious, growing older in that cramped little hospital bed?"

"Shut up," he murmered, his hands balling into fists as her words began to sink into his mind. "Just shut up."

"Other kids his age will be out growing up, getting older and learning more, and he'll just be there. He can't move, he can't think, he can't talk... he doesn't know we're even there. What sort of life is that?"

"At least he's alive, when he's there!" Derek yelled at her, his face scrunched up with frustration and disgust. "At least he has a chance of waking up! If we pull the plug... that's it, Case. He's gone. No more Jeff. No more little boy running around the house on Saturday mornings, yelling that he wants pancakes. No more of Kelly and Jeff's fighting, down the hall. No graduations, no birthdays... you'll never see Jeff walk through that front door again."

Casey's eyes flickered momentarily towards her bedroom door, and she waited... for the slightest chance that she had dreamt it all, and Jeff really would come through that door any moment, clutching a story or a couple of his toy cars, begging for some sort of attention, just like he always did, before. She'd usually give him whatever it was he wanted at the time, unless she was doing work. But she knew that, if Jeff were go appear right now, she would give him the world, if he asked for it. She'd go to hell and back to get that little boy anything he wanted, after all he'd been through.

But no messy little six year old appeared in their bedroom doorway, just as she suspected, and she smiled sadly, turning back to Derek.

"Look at the door now, Derek," she said, shaking her head slowly as she reached up, placing her hand gently on his cheek. He froze slightly, unsure of whether or not to allow her to touch him. She rubbed gentle little circles on his cheek, trying to relax him, if only a little bit. When he managed to relax enough to take a couple of deep breaths, she recognized that she had a chance to speak.

"I mean it, Derek," she said, nodding towards the doorway again. "Just look. You tell me I'll never see Jeff come through that door again. But tell me something; do you see him right now?"

Derek opened his mouth to make some sort of snappy retort, but he fell silent as the realization struck him that she was somewhat right. He glanced momentarily towards the door, wincing slightly at the truth that had lingered in her words. She was right, of course; Jeff wasn't exactly any better off right now, than if he were dead. But Derek was left with a lingering hope that maybe, someday, his son would wake up, and all of this would go away. Everything would be okay again. Casey's depression would hopefully go away, and he'd have his son back, and everything would be just fine.

He knew that miracles didn't always happen, really, he did- but he couldn't help but have faith in the little boy. He was a Venturi, after all; he was a real fighter. He could make it out of this, Derek was sure of it.

"It's not what's best," he argued, firm in his beliefs. "At least if we keep him there, he might wake up."

Casey shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She made no efforts to wipe it away, and for once, neither did Derek. He let her cry, feeling that it was her own fault if she was upset over this. This was her decision, not his, and if it was really upsetting her this much... well, nobody was forcing her to do anything. Quite the opposite, really.

"Try to understand," she begged him, her voice cracking slightly on her unshed tears. "I can't watch my baby grow up in that place, Derek. I don't want him to suffer anymore than he already has. I see him there day after day, and it kills me to think that he's all alone, in his own little world. If he can think anything, I'm scared to think that he knows he's alone."

"He's not alone," Derek spat out, his face blood red as he grabbed her hand in a bruising grip, and shoved it away from his face. She cringed slightly as she felt pain shoot through her wrist, but she didn't bother to mention it as she wrapped her fingers around the affected area, waiting for him to continue. She was half afraid to speak up, and she prayed to the heavens that Derek's old abusive side wasn't going to resurface. It was times like this, when he was insanely angry, that she actually got scared for her own safety. He'd had the potential to turn into some monster before, who was to say he wouldn't do it this time?

She watched as his chest heaved with heavy breaths, and desperate attempts for air. He shook his head once more, his hands clenched tightly into fists by his sides.

"Like I said; he's not alone," Derek repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "He's got me. He'll always have me. I happen to love my son enough to want to keep him alive. Excuse me for not taking the easy way out like you, and just having someone kill him."

Casey was completely silent, and she felt tears spring to her eyes, incredibly hurt by what he had just said to her. She felt her heart aching in her chest, and she shook her head, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Derek!" she choked out, taken aback by his words. Her voice dropped to a dull low as she continued, shaking slightly now. "You... you have no right to say that to me. I love Jeff just as much as you do. And if you think for one god damn second that I want him dead, you're insane. I'm looking out for him, and putting his interests before mine. If I was in his situation, I wouldn't want to be kept alive for any extended period of time, by artificial means. I'd want someone to love me enough to realize that it's not a good lifestyle."

Nothing she was saying was getting through Derek's strongly opinionated skull, and she knew that. She knew that every word that escaped her lips was being blatantly disregarded as bullshit, right about now. As if on cue, he laughed bitterly, shaking his head at her as he stood up, backing towards the door smugly.

"Well you know what, Case?" he asked, as he came to a stop somewhere near their dresser, about five feet away from the bed. She was close enough to hear the pain in his voice, and he was close enough to see the tears in her eyes, but they were both too wrapped up in their own beliefs to even acknowledge the others feelings, or pain.

Derek laughed again, cruelty shining through in his every feature.

"You can't do a fucking thing unless I agree to it," he said, his voice cracking slightly, as though he had just realized this himself. Happiness and relief floated across his face, and he nodded, shaking slightly. "Th-That's right. You can tell the doctors to take him off life support all you want, but you know just as well as I do what they told us."

"And what's that?" she asked sarcastically, blinking back a couple of tears. It was a rare occasion when the asshole side of Derek reared it's ugly head, but when he did, it was best not to let him know that he'd gotten to you.

He smirked, and there was so much bitterness in it, that it was almost hatred. She wanted so badly for him to leave, so she could cry freely, but she dug her fingernails into her hands to concentrate elsewhere, at least until he left.

"You heard what the doctor told us, that day," he put in, sounding smug. "They need the signatures and consent forms from_ both_ of Jeff's parents, for them to be allowed to take him off of life support." he reminded her, and she was instantly reminded that the doctor really had told them that, before. She knew that there would be no changing Derek's mind, now.

"Since I'm Jeff's father, I guess you're out of luck... aren't you, Princess?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she felt anger bubble up inside of her. She wanted to break off and punch him, right now. She never usually got that feeling, and when she did, it was just in a playful sense. But this was one of those rare occasions where she actually wanted to hit him hard across the face, and make him feel as much pain as he was causing her.

"Derek, you're really a jerk sometimes,"

He snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Life's tough, wear a helmet."

"Fuck you," she seethed, her teeth gritted tightly together as she flashed him a murderous look. She did detect the very brief flicker of hurt in Derek's eyes at her words, but he caught onto the emotion that had so nearly overwhelmed him, and got out a convincing, and passable smirk, shaking his head.

"l'm not putting up with your crap this morning," he said, and without another word, he reached behind him, grabbing ahold of something on the dresser. He tossed it angrily towards her, and she felt the bottle of anti-depressants hit the side of her knee, and fall down against the bed. She closed her hand around the bottle, giving him a look of utmost confusion.

"What's this for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. His smirk only grew wider as he shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his pockets carelessly.

"Since Jeff's life is apparantly so artificial these days, and you apparantly love him so much, I figured you might wanna know what he's going through. Pop a couple of those into you; create an artificial happiness. You can be just like him, then. Take the whole damn bottle, for all I care."

She rolled her eyes, figuring that he didn't understand what he was talking about.

"If I took the whole freakin' bottle, I'd overdose, you moron,"

He smiled a cold and cruel smile, shrugging as he backed towards the door, and turned the doorknob behind him.

"Like I said," he replied, already halfway out the door. "Life's tough."

And without another word, he was gone.

- - - -

Casey ran all the way across London, not stopping once. She had spent the majority of her day in the bedroom, mad at Derek. But come suppertime, she'd been too angry to even be in the same house as him anymore, and she had just left. The second she had stepped outside the door, she'd started running, and she hadn't even paused for breath since. There were several times when she felt like she couldn't even breathe in anymore, and she was pretty sure that she could practically taste blood in her mouth, at one point. She hadn't stopped to check, though. Her knees ached, as did her feet, and even her head hurt from the consistant blood pounding into her head, mingled with thoughts of hurt and discomfort.

Derek had been an absolute jerk to her, today. Calling her opinions stupid, she could sort of forgive. It wasn't right of him to get mad at just because they felt differently about the matter, but nonetheless, she could've so easily forgiven that. But everything he had said to her thereafter had been totally out of line, and totally unnecessary. She really did love her son, and she was only trying to think of what would be best for his future, in the long run. If the doctors were saying he most likely wouldn't wake up, chances were high that he wouldn't, and she understood that. She couldn't really accept it yet, and maybe there would never be a time when she fully would, but she wanted to put Jeff's needs before her own.

And Jeff needed peace; something he wasn't getting while lying in a comatose state.

She finally reached her destination, and she knocked desperately on Cole's door. She wasn't sure why she hadn't just taken the car here, but she knew it was because the keys were downstairs in the kitchen, where Derek had been when she left. She hadn't even told him that she was gong anywhere; she'd merely gotten up and left. He hadn't questioned it, or if he had, she hadn't heard him.

There were tears flowing down her face, and all she wanted was her best friend. Even Kallie would do right now. Her eyes flickered towards the driveway, and her heart stopped as she recognized that, although the lights in the house were on, Cole and Kallie's car was not there.

Her eyes widened slightly. Cole and Kallie she could handle, yes. She just couldn't handle...

The door swung open, and she inwardly groaned as her entire body froze with shock.

"Ryan,"

He was amazed for a moment, to see her standing there, after three weeks of the silent treatment from her. He opened his mouth to speak, but then caught sight of her shaking shoulders, her tear streaked face, and red puffy eyes. He softened immediately, any anger towards her recent cold shoulder evaporating immediately.

"Casey," he said, and despite how much she knew she shouldn't, she fell against him, crying. She needed someone, and Ryan was there. Derek wasn't. Derek was the source of her pain, this time around. She felt Ryan stumble backwards slightly, surprised, but he caught her, and slowly wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her neck softly.

"It's alright," he murmered against her skin, unsure of what was going on. "Why are you crying?"

She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it just yet.

"Shh," she mumbled into his shoulder, not sure how to explain what had just happened, without getting even more upset. "I'll tell you after."

Ryan opened his mouth to protest, and ask her to elaborate then and there, but he knew he should be grateful enough that she hadn't turn and ran the other way the second she had seen him emerge in the doorway. He sighed, and slipped his arms around her waist, holding her tighter to his chest.

"Come inside, Casey," he said, noticing that she was shivering. Whether it was just shakiness from her crying, or if she was actually cold, he didn't know, but he did know that she had run here without a sweater on, and it was sort of chilly out, tonight. He was wearing a sweater, and even he was cold. When she made no efforts to move away from him, he sighed, and pulled back enough to take her by the waist, and lead her inside. She managed to stop crying a little bit as he locked the door again, and slowly led her into the house.

"Tell me what happened," he requested, his arm around her waist as he walked her slowly through the house. She barely noticed that they went right by the living room, and were headed towards the stairs. She drew in a deep breath, though it was shuddery, and she managed to get a couple of words out.

"D-Derek..." she got out, shaking her head angrily. "T-Told him I wanted to consider taking J-Jeff off of life support. Thought it was for the best. He yelled at me... said I didn't love Jeff... he basically t-told me to overdose on my anti-depressants, for all he cared."

Ryan's eyes widened slightly, and he tensed with fear, stopping about halfway up the stairs. His grip around her tightened, and there was articulate concern in his eyes as he scanned her body nervously, searching for some sign of a drug overdose.

"Did you?" he asked nervously, and she was surprised at the fear in his voice. She looked him in the eye, sensing his fear, and slowly shook her head, sniffing slightly.

"No," she assured him, and when he didn't look convinced, she sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I never."

His eyes locked with hers for a moment, and whether or not he believed her, he gave a slight nod, and allowed them to continue going up the stairs.

"Alright," he said slowly, not sounding entirely convinced. "So why did you come here?"

She swatted violently at a couple of tears that had escaped her eyes again, and she blinked back the few unshed tears that were dying away in her eyes, left uncried.

"I was looking for Cole," she admitted, shrugging as she ignored the way Ryan's face fell with disappointment, that she hadn't come to see him.

"Oh," he said, sighing sadly. "So you're... you're here to see Cole, who by the way, isn't here." he concluded, looking slightly hurt. Casey glanced over at him, confused, and she caught sight of the dejected look in his eyes as he shrugged, and sat down on the bed of the room they'd just found themselves in. It didn't occur to her that she had been led here by him. She was too confused and distracted to realize something like that, at the moment.

"I should've known," he muttered, and he looked so put out that she felt bad for him. She felt her old feelings resurfacing, and as mad as she was at Derek, she tried to force the feelings back down. But she had to admit, she had seriously missed having Ryan as a friend, even after all of the damage he had caused between her and Derek, at the time.

"Don't think like that," she replied, placing her hand calmly on his knee, causing him to jump slightly at her touch. "I'm glad to see you too. I mean... I know we haven't talked much in the past few weeks, but-"

"You love Derek," Ryan said sadly, sighing as though he understood. "I've got to respect that. I mean clearly... he must be a great guy... to make you cry like this..."

He was being sarcastic, and Casey knew it, and she fell silent, waiting for Ryan to continue. He seemed to sense that he had attracted her attention, and he grabbed the oppurtunity, continuing.

"I'm not being mean," he tried to assure her, though anyone but Casey would've sensed a scheme from some desperate loser, right about now. "But Derek's always making you upset. This isn't the first time you've been crying to me about him."

Casey bowed her head, blushing slightly as she realized that this was true; she did unload alot of her problems on Ryan.

"Sorry," she said, ashamed. He shook his head, and gripped her chin gently in his hand, tilting it up towards him.

"Don't be sorry," he murmered, kissing her forehead gently. Casey whimpered slightly, cringing. She couldn't let him take advantage of her, like this.

"Ryan, please..." she said, shaking head head. "I've told you... we can't do this."

"We can if you let it happen," he murmered, his lips brushing over hers lightly, evidently to make her want more. It was an old trick of Derek's, and she wouldn't dare tell him that Derek did it better than he did. Now definitely wouldn't be the time.

"I've got Derek," she said, trying to convince herself, as much as him.

"Derek's always hurting your feelings," he said, and the tone of his voice, the convincing way that he said it... it almost made her believe that his words were true, even if another side of her knew that this was a lie. Derek didn't always hurt her feelings. Just sometimes. But hell, she hurt his feelings too, so she couldn't say much. Who ever said a little bit of fighting didn't help a relationship?

But none of those thoughts were running through her head normally when Ryan brushed his lips lightly against her ear.

"I wouldn't hurt you," he whispered, attempting to sound sexy as she closed her eyes, trying not to let him affect her.

"Ryan..."

"You don't know what he says about you behind your back," Ryan said, shaking his head as he ran his hands along her sides, trying to send her into a state of relaxation. She tensed slightly, contradictory to Ryan's attempts to calm her, and he merely massaged her with a little bit more force, to coax her back into something of a relaxed state. Casey barely realized that shehad lowered herself onto the bed next to him, and was leaning back against his chest as he cradled her hips, massaged her sides, and whispered words of deception to her, trying to get her turned against the one man who truly loved her. Her husband- Derek.

"It's true," he noted, and she bit her lip lazily, tilting her head back as he pressed a kiss to the base of her neck, causing her to shudder slightly. She pulled forwards slightly, not wanting to allow him access to such forbidden acts, anymore. She had to stay loyal to Derek, no matter what happened. She needed to forget about her anger, and merely focus on the fact that, fight or no fight, they were married, and they had a responsibility to remain loyal to one another. And she wasn't going to go astray from that again.

But nonetheless, she couldn't help but wonder...

"What does he say about me?"

Ryan resisted her attempts to shove him away, and he held her tighter to him, kissing her neck gently. For some insane reason, she was too preoccupied with listening to his explanation to even bother with trying to stop him. She merely let him drop a simple line of kisses along her neck, stopping at her shoulderblade. He stopped there, resting his chin on her shoulder as he allowed his lips to linger close to her ear, which wasn't hard when her head was tilted back, like that.

"He wouldn't tell me anything, of course," he said, knowing it was best to try and give a convincing argument. "He says it to Cole. Only you can't tell Cole I told you any of this... 'cause he doesn't know I overheard anything."

Casey decided not to answer that, for she could really make no promises to him on that particular subject. He didn't seem to notice, however, as he went on, clearly too caught up in his lies to even bother recognizing that Casey had not agreed to cover for him.

"He tells Cole that your depression... it gets annoying, sometimes," he lied easily, his hands caressing her sides to keep her relaxed, and distracted. "He told him he's sick of having to bring you medication all the time, and make sure you're happy. He said he loves you and all, but it's a little too dramatic for his liking."

Casey could feel her heart breaking, and she immediately felt like she'd been slapped across the face, hard. She didn't want to believe that Derek had said those things about her, but Ryan hadn't lied to her yet, had he? Besides, Derek had been displaying some jerk like tendencies since Jeff got hurt... who was to say he hadn't gotten caught up and said some things that he may, or may not have, meant.

"He said that?" she whispered, hurt lingering in her voice. "Are you... are you sure?"

Ryan nodded, and smoothed her hair back off of her face, kissing her temple gently. His lips were comforting on her warm skin, and she felt her eyes flutter shut, as she relaxed against his chest. She was lying back into his lap, against him, and she rather felt like, even if this was wrong, it was something that she'd missed during the past three weeks.

"I'm sure he meant well," Ryan said, shrugging. "But guys can get pretty self-involved sometimes, and I guess he's no exception to that. You shouldn't blame him though, right?"

Casey shook her head, not really agreeing with Ryan on that one.

"No, he has no right to say that about me," she said, frowning. "I mean, he was the one who practically begged me to see a doctor. He was the one who had my doseage increased. He just seemed so concerned."

"He said he wants you to get better, so he's not always worrying about you," Ryan lied, sounding casual. "He says you're way too demanding, lately."

Casey wanted to cry, she was that mad at Derek. How could he do something like that? And Cole! How could her best friend, a guy who cared about her almost as much as Derek, not tell her about this? It said alot that Ryan was the only man decent enough to tell her the truth, and he wasn't even supposed to know what had happened.

"I don't think you're too demanding," Ryan said, running one hand gently along her back, soothingly. He was lulling her into complete and total relaxation, slowly but surely. She had to admit that it felt kind of nice, even if she shouldn't be enjoying it.

"Really?" she whispered, still trying to fight back tears.

He nodded, smiling at her gently.

"Really," he assured her, sounding genuine. "I think you're a very kind-hearted, sweet, beautiful, and funny woman, who is going through a rough time right now. But you're right. It's totally wrong of Derek to be putting you down like that- especially behind your back."

He trailed off, realizing that she was crying again, and he rolled his eyes, an action unknown by Casey. He liked her, alot, but if there was one thing he couldn't put up with, it was tears. He shoved his hatred for emotion aside, for he was so close to getting what he'd been after all summer; Casey.

"I meant everything I just said," he assured her, and he shifted so that he was slightly more side-on to her. He trailed his hand down to grip her chin gently in his hand, and he leaned forwards, attempting to brush his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, awaiting the feeling of his lips meeting with hers, but suddenly, the shock set in. She was in Ryan's guest bedroom, lying on his bed, allowing him to be all over her once more, while Derek sat at home, unaware of what she was doing with another man.

His lips touched with hers, but she pulled back, her eyes filled with tears.

"Dammit," Ryan muttered, anger flashing through his eyes momentarily. This seemed slightly off from his gentle atittude from a few moments before, and Casey noticed, for she studied him, confused. He recognized that he'd acted slightly out of character, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," he murmered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not mad at you... it's just... I want you so badly, Casey. You can't even understand how I'm feeling, right now."

His hands were tugging on the ends of his hair with frustration, and she could feel her old habits creeping back up as she tried to keep her resolve strong.

"I... I really couldn't..." she said, growing ever closer to his lips as she spoke. Their eyes were locked together as she awaited his response. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. "Ryan, you know we can't... I've got to be loyal to Derek."

"Derek?" Ryan repeated, laughing coldly. "The same guy who suggested you overdose on your painkillers, tonight? The same guy who yelled at you earlier, and accused you of not loving your son enough? The same guy who, as you told me, used to be abusive, and alcoholic? The same guy who once cheated on you? And the same guy who has been saying stuff about you to your best friend all summer, without you knowing. My list doesn't stop there, Casey. I could go on for hours about the stuff I've heard him say about you. He says you're annoying, he calls you clingy and desperate... but of course if you ask him about any of this, he'll deny it."

She was silent, feeling her heart breaking with every word that Ryan said to her. And along with her heart, her resolve was slowly crumbling to ashes beneath her, completely ruined. Ryan sensed how close he was to being completely and totally in control, and he brushed his lips to hers gently, pulling back to keep his lips a mere inch from hers, easily accessible.

"Nobody is honest, Casey," he reminded her darkly, smirking. "Not even your not-so-perfect husband. You hold him up on some pedestal, but he doesn't belong there. He's just as dishonest as you and me, if you care to pick him apart and see what he says when you're not around."

Her eyes were still brimming with tears, but she could not find it in her to cry. She didn't want to shed anymore tears for Derek, but really... did he honestly think she was too clingy? She'd always thought he liked being romantic and sweet with her. Did he really hate their emotional bond that much? There was doubt in her mind, and she almost called Ryan out on it. But the sound of whispering in her ear sent all thoughts of Derek flying away into the night.

"Your move, Case," Ryan whispered, his eyes examining hers fearfully.

The fight from earlier was on her mind, and she felt emotion welling up in her chest as she recognized that, if Derek really was saying all of these things about her behind her back, then maybe their relationship wasn't as strong as she had thought it was. Maybe she didn't mean as much to Derek as he claimed she did. There was doubt, but it was overpowered by hurt, and therefore, not a single rational thought was running through her head, right now.

And when she saw caring eyes looking into her own, concerned for her well-being, she felt like she just wanted someone to care about her. She wanted someone to want her. And it was obvious that Ryan did.

She knew what she had to do.

"Ryan.." she said slowly, gulping as she reached out, touching his cheek gently with her hand. He gave her a hopeful and curious look, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

It was now or never.

"It's your move," she retaliated, and without another word, he rolled over, pinning her to the bed gently. And as his lips found hers, her hand found the lampswitch, and they were thrown into complete darkness.

* * *

**Don't kill me yet! Eek. You can decide for yourself what does or does not happen between Rasey, though you will not know if you're right for another few chapters. Anyway, not sure about this chapter because I was half asleep, and sick, while I wrote this. Either way, review, and I will update again! Oh, and just in case you didn't catch on, Ryan was lying about everything that Derek apparantly says about Casey. Of course he doesn't say those things about her- he loves her ! **


	19. Pain

**This chapter is super long, and I apologize. But there's still alot left to this story, and I am trying to fit it together as much as I can. I am skipping a few weeks at a time alot, and I know that, but it needs to be done. As I said, this is going to be long, and I don't want to write useless chapters where nothing will be happening, when I don't need to. This is a key chapter, though. This chapter may be rated a bit higher. Nothing graphic, just for something at the end, so be warned. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Nineteen: Pain**

Derek was completely freaking out. Casey had been gone since seven, and it was now two o'clock in the morning. He had tried calling her cellphone a dozen times, but she wasn't picking up. He'd left her about five messages, telling her to come home, telling her that he was sorry for what he had said to her. He was mad at her for suggesting that Jeff be taken off life support; he wouldn't lie about that. But this wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to get in between his relationship with Casey. He wanted to make it right with her, and he could only pray that he could persuade her away from the thought of having Jeff taken off of life support. Even if he didn't, he knew it wouldn't be a big deal, since he would have to consent to it, before it could actually happen.

He picked up the phone for what felt like the hundreth time since she had left, and started to dial his wife's number. He was on the fourth digit, when his eyes fell on a picture on the top of their entertainment center. It was about five years old, and it was of Casey and Cole, embraced in a hug at a family gathering that they'd attended. Derek mentally slapped himself for being so stupid, and hung up the phone, before picking it up, and dialing in the all-too familiar number of their best friend's house.

When Kallie picked up the phone, he knew that she'd been asleep. He felt a little bit bad for calling their house at two in the morning, but it was an emergency, and he knew that Cole never minded, when it came to helping Derek with Casey. Derek would've been equally as supportive if Cole couldn't find Kallie, anywhere. Nonetheless, Kallie stammered out a groggy sounding hello, and Derek's heart leapt, relieved that someone had answered.

"Kal!" he cried, biting his lip as he jumped up from his bed, pacing back and forth in front of the window nervously. "Sorry for calling so late, really, but I need to talk to Cole."

"He's asleep," she yawned, probably not seeing the emergency, yet. "What is it, though, since I'm wide awake?"

Derek was wondering whether or not he should just ask Kallie for help, when he heard Cole speak up in the background, evidently just waking up.

"Nah, I'm awake, babe," he said, yawning. "Is it Derek?"

As Cole answered the phone, Derek frowned slightly, unsure of how Cole had known that.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, sort of freaked out. How was it that Cole always knew everything, without even trying?

Cole laughed gently, not sounding as tired as he had a moment before. He woke up pretty quickly; Derek knew that, and for once, he was glad for it. At least he could have a civil conversation with him, without Cole biting his head off for waking him up at such an hour.

"I know it's you because no one else would call me at two in the morning, except Casey," he said, and whatever Derek had been about to say evaporated from his mind. At the mention of Casey, he remembered his reasons for calling, and he felt his protective side coming out in him.

"I can't find Casey," he said, his voice desperate. "She left at around seven, and she hasn't been home since. We had a fight... like, this morning, and she hasn't spoken to me all day. Then she left, and... dammit, Cole... I'm just completely freaking out here. Have you seen her?"

He silently begged his friend to say yes, of course he'd seen her. He prayed that she was there, safe and sound, even if she may be a little mad. As long as she was safe, he could handle it. But it nearly killed him when Cole didn't give him the answer he'd expected.

"No, I haven't seen her," he said honestly, sounding concerned. "Ryan said she dropped by a few hours ago, looking for me, but I only got home at like... ten."

Derek's stomach dropped, and he felt like a chunk of ice had just been dropped into it. So she'd been around Ryan.

"Did she... did she stay at your house at all... when Ryan was there?"

"Yeah, I think so," Cole said, sounding as though he wanted to go back to sleep, by now. "Ryan said she stuck around for an hour or two, then said she had to go. Apparantly, she was really pissed off at you for something, and was calling you a jerk, or something."

There was silence, in which Derek pressed his free hand against his temple, knowing what was coming next.

"I've gotta ask," Cole said, sounding curious. "What did you do? Ryan said it took him forever to make her stop crying."

"She was still crying?" Derek questioned, his stomach turning unpleasantly. "Dammit..."

Cole was silent for a moment, and Derek knew that he was waiting to hear what had happened. He sighed, and decided to explain himself. By the time he had finished retelling the story of everything that had gone on, Cole sounded even more concerned, and shocked.

"You don't think she actually would've taken all of her anti-depressants, do you?" he suggested, and for one brief moment, Derek thought his heart had stopped beating. If he had suggested something like that, and she had gone ahead with it, he would never forgive himself. He whipped around quickly, and he relaxed when his eyes fell on the pill bottle on the dresser, just as full as he had left it this morning.

"No, her medication is here," he said, breathing out a deep breath of relief. "I just don't understand where she is."

He was silent for a moment, and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, prepared to swallow whatever dignity he had left. Sucking it up, he put Casey before himself, and practically choked out his next sentence.

"Can I... can I talk to Ryan?"

Cole sounded slightly surprised when he answered, but he gave Derek what he wanted, and sighed.

"Sure; I'll go get him," he said, and Derek heard him get up from the bed, and tell his wife that he'd be right back. "He wasn't even asleep, the last time I checked. He was watching some movie on TV... ahh, there he is. Hey Ryan, phone's for you."

"Who is it?" Derek heard Ryan question, sounding curious. "I'm watching a movie here."

"It's Derek," Cole said, and suddenly, the mouthpiece seemed to have been covered. Derek strained his ears, and heard Cole's angry voice in the background, a quiet hiss of hatred.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, Ryan," he heard Cole mutter, clearly angry. "You disgust me when you do shit like this. Don't you dare lie to him, or make up any of your bullshit, because I can tell you now, if there's one couple who won't be broken up by your insistant meddling, it's Derek and Casey. Got it?"

Derek smirked; Cole had his back. Cole was always there for him, and this was no exception. Ryan was slightly taken aback by his brother in-law's threat, Derek could tell, but nonetheless, he forced his reply out through what sounded like gritted teeth.

"Got it," he said, sounding smug. Derek could tell that Ryan felt so superior to Derek right now, even if he didn't know why. There was some shuffling in the background, and a moment later, a door slammed. Derek could only assume that this was Cole leaving the room to Ryan, for the next second, Ryan picked up, muttering a simple 'hello'.

"Where is she?" was all Derek said, the sound of Ryan's voice sickening him. "You know where she is, and you're going to tell me."

He could practically sense Ryan's smirk forming, and sure enough, the voice that came through the receiver a moment later was smug and proud.

"She's your wife, isn't she?" he asked innocently. "Shouldn't you know where she is?"

"Cut the crap; I know she was there earlier," Derek spat out, annoyed. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know," Ryan said, and Derek hated that he sounded like he was telling the truth. He hated that Ryan had one over on him, but if he had to be embarassed, he'd prefer to at least get some information out of the guy while he did it.

There was silence as Derek closed his eyes briefly, trying to figure out another place where Casey might've gone. He racked his brain furiously, needing to know where she was, but he had nothing. Suddenly, Ryan spoke up again, sounding superior and amused by Derek's pain.

"How does it feel to know you're losing her to me, Venturi?" he asked happily, trying to rub it in a little. "Does it hurt, knowing that she's coming to me, when she's upset?"

"She came to Cole!" Derek yelled defensively, shaking with rage. "She wanted to see Cole, not you! And if I was losing Casey, which I'm not, it most definitely wouldn't be to a little twerp like you, Ryan."

Ryan was silent for a moment, as though slightly offended by Derek's words. Nonetheless, he bounced back quickly, and laughed coldly, enjoying the sick thrill he got out of getting under Derek's skin.

"She may have came for Cole, but she stayed for me. She came to me in tears over you," Ryan pointed out, as though he was trying to make Derek out to be the bad guy. "I'm not really complaining, I guess. I mean, having her crying into my chest, hugging me, clinging onto me... it was sort of rewarding, in it's own way. Wouldn't you agree?"

"If you know what's good for you, you'll shut the fuck up right now," Derek spat out, his entire body shaking with rage. Ryan just made him want to punch something, hit something until every bit of his anger had been released elsewhere. He couldn't handle all of this rage inside of him right now. He struggled to keep it in, not wanting Ryan to hear him break off and hit something, and know that he'd gotten to him.

"You're losing Derek; just accept it," Ryan said coldly, and Derek hated admitting it, but he felt like it was true. Him and Casey were always fighting with each other, and even though there had been little, if any, mention of Ryan over the past few weeks, he'd sensed that she had been thinking of him, sometimes. He didn't mind Casey having Ryan as a friend, he really didn't. But with everything that Cole had told him about Ryan still fresh in his mind, he wasn't at all comfortable with the idea of his wife hanging around someone like that.

"I'm not losing, and there's really no need for us to be having this discussion," Derek said, shrugging. "She's my wife, and I'm not at all worried about her falling for a creep like you. It'd never happen. We've been in love since we were like... sixteen. Nothing you do or say can ruin that for us."

"Says you," Ryan said, off-hand.

"Whatever," Derek said, not in any mood to stay on the line and talk to a jerk like Ryan. "I'm gonna go. Here's a little hint for you, Ryan. Stop chasing Casey around. You just look like a desperate loser, and she's not interested in you. Not in that way, anyway. So how about you go back home, and pick up one of those hoes from the homes you destroyed? Or better yet, start looking after your daughter. Hell, learn her name. It's Amy, just so you know."

"I don't care," Ryan said, and as much as he tried to sound disgusted, there was a hint of pain in his voice, perhaps the only real sign that Ryan felt anything at all towards his daughter.

"I'm not cut out to be a father," Ryan said, sounding like he was trying desperately to convince both of them of that.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there," Derek admitted, not bitterly, but honestly. "But as much as I hate you, here's a tip. I'll let you in on a little secret, alright?"

Ryan snorted, sounding amused, yet slightly interested.

"What, are we gonna swap secrets, now? Become all buddy-buddy? Maybe later we can paint our toe-nails and discuss our emotions, too."

"Sorry man," Derek said, laughing with amusement as he shook his head. "Not really my thing. But hey, if you're into it, I can check around for you. I heard a couple of ten year olds down the road are throwing a sleepover next week. I'll ask them if you can go along."

"Not funny, Venturi," Ryan sighed, sounding frustrated. "What's this advice you speak of, oh wise one?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair, sighing. As much as he didn't want to help Ryan, he hated the idea of anyone having to go through life without a father. And besides, he knew that, someday, eventually, maybe... Ryan just might regret not getting to know his daughter while he could. So, pushing aside his hatred for a moment, he took on a neutral point of view to the situation, and spoke up.

"Here's a tip; get to know your daughter," he said, and when Ryan didn't respond, apparantly waiting for more, he took a chance, and rushed on. "It's really one of the best feelings in the world. I've got a daughter who is pretty much the same age as yours, and trust me... it's so worth it. I never thought I'd be fit to be a father, but... it just came naturally. Trust me, you need to take this oppurtunity."

Ryan was silent for a moment, and Derek rushed on, knowing that, for a change, he was holding Ryan's full attention.

"Listen to me, and listen closely," he said, and he was unsure of why he was even being so helpful, right about now. Damn Casey for turning him into someone who actually helped people, when needed.

"My son is in hospital, in a coma. I haven't been able to talk to him, with him talking back, in five and a half weeks now. And let me tell you, I would give anything... _anything_... to talk to him, and hear him talk back. You've got that chance, and I really think you should take it. I'd do anything for that oppurtunity."

He felt emotion welling up in the back of his throat at the idea of his son lying there in hospital still, lonely, and completely clueless to the world around him. For one, brief moment, he had a flash of insight into just why Casey wanted to take him off of life support. Maybe he would be better off not suffering anymore. But he shook the thought out of his head; it was ridiculous, of course. Jeff would come around; he'd make sure of it. He was a Venturi, and a fighter.

Ryan was silent, apparantly thinking hard about what Derek had just told him. Derek waited anxiously, praying for everyone's sake that Ryan would maybe see some sense in what Derek was saying. Maybe he'd go back to his daughter. They'd be happy, he'd be happy, Casey would be happy, and the world would be at peace again... for him, anyway.

But, of course, he never had that kind of luck, and he was stupid for supposing that Ryan had that much humanity in him.

"I don't need a daughter," Ryan said, though Derek could still detect regret in his voice, through the tough front he was putting out there. "I'm perfectly content with winning Casey over, and stealing her from you, which is working, despite what you may think. Besides, I don't even like kids."

He was lying, and Derek knew it, but nonetheless, there was a click, and Derek knew that he had hung up, clearly not willing to put up with anymore of this conversation. He sighed, and stared off into space for a moment. Realizing that trying to be nice to Ryan had failed just as badly as threatening him, he cursed, and slammed the phone down into it's cradle, the sound echoing through the whole room. He was visibly shaking with rage, and he waited for something, anything. Ryan's words had chilled his entire body, made him see red with murderous rage. The way that Ryan had rubbed it in, talking about how Casey had come crying to him... the very thought of Ryan's hands even touching her made him want to throw up.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a car door slam on the driveway below. He looked up, listening for a moment. He heard an engine rev up, before taking off down the road. He stood there for a moment, not really interested, until something occured to him. Maybe it was Casey.

Sure enough, when he darted to the window, and leaned against the windowsill on his palms, he caught sight of Casey coming up the driveway, with no sweater on. She was stumbling slightly, and he frowned, wondering what was wrong with her. Without another thought in his head, he ran for the stairs.

Derek practically flew into the porch, and wrenched the door open just as she was stumbling up the two steps that led to their front door. A slight chill met him as the cool wind whipped through his hair, and he shivered, feeling little goosebumps rising slowly against his skin. But if he was cold, he knew that she had to be twenty times colder. She wasn't even wearing a sweater. Her hair was slightly messed up, which he assumed was from the wind, and there was just something about her that was different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet, and he watched as she stumbled, falling forwards slightly.

He cursed under his breath, and stepped out onto the top step, bending down to catch her right before she fell completely. He wrapped his arms around her as he caught her, and heard the door slam shut behind him. He could've sworn he heard it lock behind him, and cursed again. He must have left the lock on the inside door turned. He told himself to concentrate on helping Casey, and then getting back in. She was lying back in his arms, and he looked down at her with concern. He knew instantly what was so different about her. She was completely drunk.

"Casey?" he asked nervously, praying he was wrong. "C-Casey... are you okay?"

She merely laughed, and reached up, tangling one hand through his hair playfully. Her fingernails scraped his scalp gently, and he frowned, wondering what the hell had prompted her to do this, aside from their fight.

"Hey, Derry," she slurred out, and he raised an eyebrow at her with confusion. Derry? Yeah, she was definitely drunk.

"Case, what have you done?" he murmered, shaking his head as he lifted her up into his arms, standing up. He trusted her enough to allow her feet to rest firmly on the ground again, but he kept one arm around her waist as he fumbled in the faint streetlight for the doorknob, trying to keep her upright. The last thing he needed was for her to fall over the stairs, and hurt herself. The hospital was already like a second home to him, with Jeff there. He wasn't looking to spend anymore time there.

"Crap," he murmered, as he found the doorknob, and determined that it was, indeed, locked. He rattled it a little, but he knew it was no use. He used his free hand to reach into his jeans pocket, but he didn't have a set of keys on him. It would be too much trouble to try and get her into the backyard, and up over the back steps, to get to the back door. Besides, he was pretty sure that was locked, too.

"Why'sit so cold, Der?" she laughed, wrapping one arm around his neck. Before he could answer, she went on, completely changing the topic. "Mmm, you smell good."

"And you smell like alcohol," he muttered, ringing the doorbell, and praying that Jayden would hear it, and get up. "Jesus, Casey... how much were you drinking? Don't you know you're not supposed to be drinking when you're on that medication?"

"What meditation?" she asked, pouting. "I don't meditate."

"Right," he said, sighing. He glanced up at the window two stories up, and frowned when he saw that Jayden's light was still off. "Dammit."

He rang the doorbell about six times in a row, and banged heavily on the door. Casey was leaning backwards with her arm around his neck, and it was starting to be a strain on his muscles to hold her tight enough as not to fall. Even he was finding it hard to stay upright, when she was dragging him backwards.

"Jesus, Jay... would you come to the door?" he said, and as he noticed that the light above him was on, he saw Jayden peeking through the curtain at the window of the door. He gave a little half-wave, and motioned towards Casey. Jayden raised an eyebrow, and pulled the door open, recognizing who was there. The door swung open, and Jayden gave his parents a confused look.

"Dad?" he questioned, clearly confused. "What's going on? Why are you out here and... whoah..."

He trailed off when he caught sight of the completely drunken look on Casey's face, and he frowned slightly, knowing instantly what was wrong with her.

"Mom?"

"Hey Jay," Casey said, grinning lazily down at him, and kissing the top of his head. "When'd you get home?"

"Uh..." Jayden said, glancing up at his father, who shook his head.

"Just help me get her inside," he said, and Jayden nodded, holding the door open with his foot as he reached out, and held onto Casey from the other side. Together, they managed to get her inside, and Derek brought her into the living room. It would be too much work to try and get her upstairs, to bed. He helped her onto the couch, and he sat down next to her, looking down at her with concern.

"You okay?" he asked, knowing that she couldn't really focus properly right now. In the time it had taken them to get her into the living room, her eyes had switched from amused and energetic, to sick and confused.

"Nuh-uh," she murmered, shaking her head as she suddenly clutched onto her stomach, feeling sick. "Don't feel so good..."

"Come on," he said, sighing as he grabbed onto her hand. "I'll try to get you up to the bathroom."

"Too far..." she got out, trying not to open her mouth too much. "Oh God..."

"Do you need me to carry you?"

She didn't answer, merely stared off at the ceiling blankly. Derek could tell she couldn't even hear him at this point, and he sighed, slipping his arm around her waist. He went to pick her up, but she jumped slightly, and shook her head.

"Don't..." she got out, her voice forced.

"Casey, you need to go up to the bathroom," he said, shaking his head as Jayden stared on, horrified. Derek only hoped that this would help Jayden from starting drinking too early on. If he'd been around to witness Derek's abusive streak a few years ago, Derek had a feeling that he would never touch alcohol in his natural born life. But he hadn't been there for that, and this was the first time that he'd ever really seen either of his parents drunk. And Derek had a feeling that Jayden didn't like it; not at all.

"Come on, baby," Derek said gently, pressing a hand gently to her forehead. She was warm, and he knew she shouldn't have mixed her medication with alcohol; it was probably just making her even more sick. He felt bad for her, and he wondered vaguely if she had been drunk when she had been at Cole's, with Ryan. Ryan was definitely the kind of guy who would take advantage of a girl when she was drunk. He prayed to God that she hadn't been, but knew there was no sense asking her that particular question right now. She didn't even seem to know where she was, let alone be able to fully answer a question.

"Dad... is she... is she going to be okay?" Jayden asked, his eyes wide, and slightly fearful as he leaned over the edge of an armchair across the room. "Is she supposed to be like this?"

"She sometimes gets sick when she drinks... but not usually," he said, trying to slip his arm around her waist and hoist her up, before she realized what he was doing. He managed to get her arm around his shoulders, and he held onto her hand as it dangled over his neck and shoulder. He stood up, helping her up with him, and he looked over at her pale face.

"Her depression medication isn't supposed to be mixed with alcohol," he noted, cringing slightly. Jayden gulped nervously, following along behind Derek as he made his way towards the stairs.

"Is that a really bad thing?" he asked, frowning. "How come you let her drink that much?"

"I didn't," Derek said defensively, shaking his head. "I wasn't with her."

"Where was she?" Jayden asked, and Derek stopped halfway up the stairs, turning towards his son with anger, and resentment in his eyes. It wasn't held for Jayden, of course, because he didn't have an ounce of hatred in his body for any of his kids. No, his resentment and bitterness was all for Ryan, and the way he'd affected Casey.

"I don't know where she was all night, but I've got a feeling we can blame Ryan, partially. She was with him for a few hours," Derek said, knowing secretly that Jayden held just as much hatred for Ryan as he did. Jayden's eyes darkened, and suddenly, things were piecing together for him, even more than they were with Derek. Casey had been out all night. She had been with Ryan, and she was drunk. He didn't know if she had gotten drunk before or after meeting up with Ryan, but he had a feeling that his mother hanging out with Ryan wasn't a good idea anyway. He shuddered to think what might have happened between the two of them. He hadn't heard about Ryan in three weeks, and for awhile, he'd thought that maybe Ryan was gone back home. But now, he knew that he didn't have that sort of luck.

"Why can't we keep him away from her?" Jayden asked, feeling scared. "I don't want him to-"

Derek turned at the top of the stairs, his eyes falling on the teenager, who had trailed off, too sickened by the thought to say the rest. Jayden's eyes were full of a knowledge that Derek couldn't comprehend, and he frowned slightly, trying to keep Casey upright, as Casey struggled to keep the contents of her stomach down. Derek turned, and saw that she had dozed off on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes, but looked back at Jayden, searching for truth.

"You don't want him to what, Jay?" he asked, confused. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Jayden bit his lip, never taking his eyes away from Derek. It would be so easy to tell his father the truth then and there, and not have to worry about it anymore. If the truth was out, Derek would surely see to it that Ryan never touch Casey again.

But then again, maybe he'd just get mad, and end things with her altogether. He knew that they were in love, but what if this was just too much for them?

Derek could sense the conflict flickering through his son's eyes, and he frowned again, shaking his head.

"Jayden, what is it?"

The teenager shook his head, looking down at the floor helplessly. He was a coward. He couldn't bring himself to tell his father something that he knew could potentially destroy his family. He wasn't willing to be the cause of so much pain. He didn't want anyone to resent him for tearing apart what had once been one of the happiest families he knew.

"It's nothing," he lied, and he knew that Derek was going to argue with him on it, so he quickly looked up, and cringed at the sight of confusion on Derek's face. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait, Jayden," Derek called out, suddenly concerned about whatever was going on with his oldest. "Come back."

But Jayden hurried away, and with the slam of his door, Derek knew that it was useless. Jayden wanted nothing to do with this conversation anymore, and as a teenager, there would be no persuading him otherwise.

He sighed, looking down at the girl in his arms.

"C'mon, Case," he said, sighing heavily. "Let's get you upstairs,"

He went to move forwards again, but he had only taken one step, when she suddenly had a random burst of energy. She reached up, grasping the collar of his t-shirt, and pulling his face down close to hers.

"Derek," she breathed out, the smell of alcohol rising to his sense of smell instantly. He cringed; he didn't drink much, anymore. Not after what he had done to Casey. It was too much of a risk. He looked into her eyes, and noticed that something had changed. There was still nausea and complete confusion in her eyes, but there was a deeper sense of understanding, something that he couldn't comprehend. In fact, it was something close to the look that Jayden had held for him only moments before.

"Yeah?" he asked gently, struggling to keep them both upright. "What is it, Casey?"

Her eyes searched his desperately for a moment, and for one brief second, there was such seriousness in her eyes that he didn't believe she was drunk.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. And before he could question it, her eyes closed, and she collapsed onto his shoulder, too drunk to even function properly anymore. He stared down at her as she lay against his body, and he held her tighter, confused. She was sorry? What was she sorry for? He decided to ask her in the morning.

Now wasn't the time.

- - - -

Derek never did ask Casey what she had been so apologetic about that night. The next morning had been so hectic, since she'd had an awful hangover, and by the time the question even brushed past his mind, nearly two days later, he figured that she would've forgotten about it, and that she had probably been way too drunk to even remember it now.

A month had passed by, and no final decisions regarding Jeff had been made. His condition had not improved in the slightest, and doctors were still urging them to think about taking him off of life support. Casey had brought the idea up to Derek a couple of times, in hopes that maybe he'd change his mind, but it was just no use. He wasn't going to budge on this one, and after two weeks of bugging Derek about it, she had given up. It was causing more problems than it was helping resolve any, and their relationship was rocky enough as it was.

Ryan was temporarily gone home. Summer was coming to a close, and he'd had a bit of business to attend to- things that he couldn't do from his computer. He'd informed everyone that he'd be coming back in a couple of days, once everything was settled away. He claimed that he wanted to come back to scout out some houses, because he was starting to consider London to be a good home to him. He had told Kallie and Cole that he was considering moving there. They had both begged him not to, knowing how much trouble he was causing to Derek and Casey's marriage, even if they didn't know the half of it. But he was insistant on the idea, and claimed that if he managed to get a place to live on his own, he would consider adding a branch of his company to London, so that he would make more, and be able to work in the office, and out, all from London.

Jayden would be going back to school soon, in about a week. The nine weeks of summer had practically flown by, but he had to admit that he wasn't sad to see summer come to a close. He was sick of having to hang around with Cameron and Kayla every single day, and watch them be so overly affectionate towards one another. Besides that, things at home weren't really great, and he just needed those few hours a day, when he had an excuse not to be at home.

If possible, Casey's depression had sky-dived to an all-time low. She'd told Derek about how bad she had felt the night she got drunk. Apparantly, she'd gone out with Emily and another old friend from high school that night, after she left Cole's house. She said she'd lost track of the time, and had just been so upset that she'd allowed herself to get completely trashed, but he wasn't too sure he believed it. Half of him wondered if there was more to the story, but he didn't dare ask her. She was mopey enough as it was. She spent alot of time by herself now, and it was like nothing that Derek did, or said, was making any difference to her. She would be lying if she said that suicidal thoughts hadn't passed through her mind in the past month or so, because they had.

One day, when her and Derek were visiting their son, she was thinking hard about what life without Jeff would really be like. She was having trouble imagining Jeff being gone forever, but she supposed it wouldn't be too different than things were right now. That wasn't much comfort, as her life had officially hit rock bottom, by now, but she knew that at least she could visit Jeff right now. If he were to be taken off life support, there would be no Jeff, ever. She wouldn't even be able to see him again. But nonetheless, her love for her son was overpowering her own needs, and she knew that he deserved to have his suffering stopped. He deserved peace, and no pain.

She sat at his bedside, her hand holding onto his tiny one gently. His body lay in the exact same position as it had rested in nine weeks ago, when he'd slipped into the coma. Nothing had changed. His face was still set in a stony expression, no hint of a smile on his youthful and innocent features. His hands rested at his sides in the same position as usual, and she smiled sadly as she stroked her thumb across the back of his hand gently. Derek was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at his son's emotionless face, sadly.

"It's been nine weeks, Der," she reminded him, as he kept his gaze fixed on his son. "I really don't think he's going to wake up."

"Be quiet, Casey," Derek murmered, not really thinking. He didn't mean for it to come out harshly, but his patience was running thin. He was sick of everyone telling him that his son was a lost cause. He was sick of being told he was being way too optimistic. He had assumed that Casey had given up on her silly little hope of persuading him into giving consent for the removal of life support.

But apparantly, she had a newfound sense of inspiration to try his patience, today.

"I'm not trying to be mean, or to say that you're being stupid," she said, knowing that was what was going through his head. "But he's hurting, Derek. He could be in so much pain, right now."

"He can feel that?" Derek questioned. He didn't know too much about comas. He knew the essentials, but he had tuned out when the doctors had started telling them about pain factors. It had been too much to handle.

But he was paying attention now, as Casey nodded her head, sensing that this piece of information was actually getting through that thick skull of his.

"Yes, he can feel pain," she confirmed, cringing at the thought. "And look at him, Derek. We don't even know the internal damage, yet. If he ever wakes up, he could be paralyzed or something, for all we know. They said it's not likely, but they said some of his muscles were severely damaged. If he's not paralyzed, he'll be feeling that right about now. And besides, it can't be too pleasant to be covered in gashes, or lie there day in and day out, alive, but... well..."

"Just stop," Derek said, and she knew then that she wasn't getting through to him. She was making him realize that maybe his son was in alot of pain, but she wasn't making him change his mind on anything. Not at all.

"We're not letting them take him off of life support, Case," he told her, shaking his head. "We've been through this."

"Derek, I can't stand to see him in anymore pain," she said desperately, her eyes filled with tears. "I love him more than the world, and because of that... I know I've got to make the right choice for him. And if that means I've got to live with the pain of knowing I made that decision for the rest of my life, then so be it, but... I don't want him to hurt anymore."

"You can't force me to consent to it," he said, shaking his head. "This is in my hands. I love him, and if you think that letting him die, eliminating the problem just like that is a real solution, then I don't think you love him as much as you claim you do."

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at him in disbelief. She should've known. This particular argument always ended in someone saying something hurtful. But this time, she wasn't going to let it end there. She pushed aside her dignity, and drew in a deep breath.

"Can we please talk about this sensibly?" she asked, frowning slightly. "Everytime I mention this, you go off about how you've got all the power, and how I don't love my son at all. Is that what you think; that I don't love him? Because you are so, totally wrong. You know our family is everything to me."

"Sure, whatever," he said, rolling his eyes as he turned back to his son, shaking his head as though her opinion didn't mean a thing to him. And it occured to her that, in this matter, it probably didn't. She rolled her eyes at his immaturity, and gave him a serious look, shaking her head.

"Come on," she begged him, frustrated. "Just... God, you're so difficult. Can you please, for two seconds, put yourself in a neutral position? Just imagine what it must be like, to feel nothing but pain and loneliness for nine weeks straight, and know full well that that may be all you're going to feel for the rest of your life."

"We don't even know if he knows anything about his situation, Case," he said, shaking his head. "He has no brain activity, remember?"

Casey dropped Jeff's hand, and ran her own hand through her hair, completely frustrated. She made some sort of an angry noise in the back of her throat, and Derek frowned slightly, knowing that he was making her mad, and hurting her, but he found that he was unable to change his mind for her, on this. He just didn't think he could live with himself, if they allowed the doctors to do such a thing. The 'what-if' factor would never stop running through his head, for the rest of his life.

"This is the only flaw to kids," he murmered, burying his face into his hands, muffling his words. "They're so easy to love, and so hard to move on from."

"We don't have to let go of him completely," she whispered desperately, shaking his head. "It's not like we're going to forget him, ever. He'll always be in our memories..."

"Not good enough," he said, his voice cracking slightly on the tears he was trying to fight back. "Jesus, Casey... remind me to never have another child. I don't want another kid. 'Cause when something like this happens, it's way too much pain."

His face was still buried against his hands, and he didn't see her face go a pale shade of white, or her eyes subconciously flicker with fear. She didn't say a word, and a moment later, he looked up, his eyebrows scrunched slightly together as he caught sight of her. Her eyes were staring off towards the wall, and she had one hand over her stomach, the other resting lightly on top of Jeff's hand again. Derek frowned, confused.

"Case?" he questioned, concerned. "You okay?"

She didn't answer right away. She slowly nodded her head in response, her eyes still wide. She only realized that she was worrying him when she looked up, and saw the concerned look he was fixing her with.

"I'm okay," she finally said, shaking her head as though she was trying to shake herself out of a trance. "Just feeling a little sick, that's all."

"You sure?" he asked, reaching over to rub her back gently. "Do you need to go home?"

She glanced down at Jeff one more time, cringing at the emotionless expression on his face. She reached out, brushing his sandy brown hair away from his eyes. He looked so much like Derek, but his personality reflected that of both of his parents. He was a little prankster, and an absolute charmer, but he was smart, just like Casey. He was a combination of the best of both of their traits. It absolutely broke her heart to think that she'd never get to witness that sparkling personality ever again.

She thought that she could cry, then and there, but was surprised to find that no tears would come. It occured to her that she was probably all cried out; she had been doing alot of that lately.

"You're not going to see my side on this, are you?" she asked quietly, and although it was a hypothetical question, one that she knew the answer to very clearly, Derek shook his head, unwilling to be swayed.

"No, I'm not," he confessed, and he kissed the side of her head, before standing up, and grabbing his jacket off of the foot of Jeff's bed.

"I'll be outside the waiting room, baby," he said, and without another word, he crossed the room to the door, and slipped outside quietly to the hallway. He didn't push the door closed all the way, for he knew that Casey would be out in a minute. He found himself leaning against the wall, breathing deeply. It killed him to disagree with Casey, but this was not something that he would change his mind on, as whipped as he may be.

His eyes fell shut as he attempted to regain some composure, but suddenly, his ears picked up on Casey's quiet words to her son, in the room that he'd just left. Her voice was a faint murmer, one that he couldn't quite hear, so he leaned in towards the crack in the door, peering through discreetly. His eyes fell on Casey, who had a look of sadness and longing in her eyes as she combed her fingers through Jeff's hair gently.

"Me and your Daddy are really proud of you, baby," she was whispering, her voice shaky. "You're so brave, did you know that? You're in alot of pain, and I know that. I want to end it for you, so badly... it kills me to think that you might be alone, and scared... and I don't know if you can even think anything, but I want you to know that I love you so much. Daddy loves you too, you know. He's stubborn, but he loves you. This summer has been the hardest time of my entire life... and this decision... it's not an easy one to make, Jeff. You wouldn't like who I'm becoming, I don't think. I'm not going to go into detail about it, because I don't even think I can bring myself to tell you much of anything... but trust me, I'm not headed down a good road."

Derek closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his heart ache for Casey. She was going through such a hard time, Derek knew, but by the way she was talking, it was like there was more that she wasn't telling him. He convinced himself that this was stupid, that Casey would tell him if something was seriously wrong. He tuned back in just as she leaned down, and pressed her lips against her son's forehead gently. One single tear escaped from her pain filled eyes, and slipped down her cheek unnoticed by anyone but Derek. She sniffed gently, and managed to smile gently at her son.

"Whatever your Dad decides for you, and whatever happens, keep in mind that I'm always going to love you," she said, and as one more tear escaped, she drew in a sharp breath, brushing her hand gently against his forehead.

"Goodbye, Jeff,"

Without another word, she stood up, and wiped away whatever tears had left her eyes. She guessed that she'd been wrong in thinking that she was all cried out. Clearly, she wasn't.

Derek stood there, confused for a moment. Something about her tone of voice when she said goodbye to him... it just didn't feel right. It gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach, and he felt like something bad was going to happen. He wanted to just take her then and there, and hold her tightly to ensure she was protected. It just felt like the right thing to do.

But as she exited the room, he backed up against the wall again, pretending like he hadn't noticed a single thing. She forced a smile when she came out, but he sensed the pain behind her facade as she slipped her fingers through his, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Ready?" she questioned, her fake smile still plastered across her face.

He considered saying no. He considered making her stay, and confess whatever it was that was making her so upset.

But he wasn't ready to hear it. For whatever reason, he was scared to know what was wrong with her. He was a coward, and he guessed that he could admit that.

So, forcing a smile of his own, he nodded, and they made their way out of the hospital, hand in hand.

- - - -

Casey had officially been quiet all through dinner. The second she had gotten home, she had called Cole, and talked to him for an hour straight. Derek wasn't sure what they had talked about, but he wasn't worried. He didn't have to worry about Cole like he did with Ryan. Cole was someone who could be trusted, whereas Ryan was complete and total scum.

He'd even found it weird when she'd made a point of calling their siblings, and their parents, just to say hello. She talked to them once every second day anyway, but usually, they called Casey and Derek; not the other way around. Nonetheless, he even accepted that as no big deal, and he fixed up supper while she was being the social butterfly of the day. She had stopped talking on the phone for long enough to play with Kelly for a half an hour, considering the little girl was whining for attention, and Derek had been busy cooking dinner.

By dinner, however, he was officially worried about her. She hadn't smiled once since she got home, her eyes were distant, and she seemed so distracted. She was barely even touching her food, but that was nothing new. She'd been skipping meals on and off for a few weeks, now.

"Casey, aren't you hungry?" he finally asked, nodding towards her plate of food, which only had about five bites missing from it. He took another forkful of spaghetti, shoving it into his mouth hungrily. Casey poked around at her food a little bit more, shaking her head sadly without even looking up from her plate.

"No, not really," she admitted, sighing. "I had a big lunch."

Derek frowned, taking a sip of his diet soda from the glass that sat next to his dinner. He waited until he had swallowed, before shaking his head at her, confused.

"You had half a veggie burger, and two sips of water," he observed, remembering how he had begged her to eat something, considering she had eaten no breakfast. He had practically been trying to forcefeed her, claiming that she was going to soon get sick, if she didn't start eating properly.

Panic was beginning to rise up in him, and he watched her nervously for any signs of something that could help him understand her pain. She merely twirled a noodle around her fork, and raised it to her lips, nibbling on the end of the noodle casually. A moment later, she allowed the remainder of the noodle to unravel, and she sighed, pushing her food around again. She had skillfully avoided his question, but if she thought he'd give up that easy, she was crazy.

"Casey?" he questioned, completely freaking out. "This is getting ridiculous. You're barely eating. Don't think I haven't noticed all the weight you've lost."

"It's been two pounds," she murmered, but he shook his head, not noticing how Jayden was looking back and forth between the two of them, fear dancing through his eyes.

"It's been eight pounds, actually," he said, annoyed with her for lying. "I heard you mention it to Lizzie the other day, when she asked how much weight you'd lost."

She bit her lip, but didn't answer as she tapped her foot on the floor gently, to no rhythm in particular.

"Why are you lying to me?" he asked, but she shook her head, pushing her chair back.

"I'm not lying... I just forgot," she lied, and before he could answer, she had stood up, and pushed her chair in. Derek's body tensed at how small her waist was, and he noticed Jayden's eyes flicker fearfully to her fragile figure, as well. They were both scared for her, and she knew it. But oddly enoguh, she couldn't bring herself to care. She was sick of making people worry more than they had to.

"I'm done," she said, sighing. "Thanks for dinner."

Kelly giggled, making her first contribution to the family dinner, and she grabbed a handful of noodles in her tiny fist, throwing them up into the air happily.

"Confetti!"

The noodles landed on Jayden's head, and he cursed under his breath as the tomato sauce dripped onto his face. Both of his parents were too amused by Kelly's actions to bother scolding him for his bad use of language. The incident brought the first real smile to Casey's lips in a long time. Derek fought back laughter as he bit his lip, and grabbed a paper towel to wipe Kelly's hands off, before she smeared the spaghetti sauce all over anything else.

"It's spaghetti, baby, and don't throw food at your brother."

Jayden glared at Derek, shaking his head.

"Oh sure, take care of everything around her when your son is covered in spaghetti,"

Casey sighed, and grabbed a paper towel from the roll that Derek had just placed down. Pulling Jayden up gently by the elbow, she picked the noodles away from his head, and discarded them onto the counter. She began to wipe the sauce away from his face, ignoring how it stained slightly. Jayden scowled, blushing furiously.

"Geez, Mom!" he cried defensively, pulling back as she wiped the last of it away. "I'm fifteen years old, for crying out loud. I don't need you to clean me off."

Casey stared at him for a moment, blinking a couple of times, before she shrugged, and tossed the paper towel into the garbage can across the room. It landed perfectly, and she turned back to Jayden, sighing.

"Sorry; I forgot you're all grown up and independant, now. I guess you don't need to borrow money anymore, or for us to do your laundry, or make you food. Right?" she asked teasingly, and he grinned sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe I still need my Mom for some things..." he confessed, blushing even further, and that was all it took for Casey to snap. Her emotion just went over the top, and she pulled Jayden into a hug. His face was stained with tomato sauce as she pulled him tightly to her, her eyes squeezed shut. He looked completely confused as Casey practically squeezed all the air out of him, for no reason whatsoever. Derek stopped what he was doing, and watched as Jayden gave his father a confused look.

"Is she drunk again?" he questioned, and Derek glared at him, shaking his head angrily.

"Not a word," he whispered, praying that Casey wouldn't hear him. He didn't think she wanted to be reminded of that night, considering how much fighting they'd done that night. He didn't find it at all amusing for Jayden to bring that up.

"I was joking," Jayden muttered, clearly offended, but Derek merely scowled, not at all pleased.

"Jokes are funny; that's not," he said, and motioned for Jayden to hug her back. Rolling his eyes, he did so, unsure of where his mother's sudden burst of emotion had come from. Casey's eyes were still closed, and even Derek had to admit that there was something weird about all of this. Casey could be weird, but she usually didn't burst in and out of mood swings this badly.

"Um, Mom?" Jayden finally questioned, when she still wasn't pulling away. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Casey questioned, clearly lost in thought. When she recognized what Jayden had asked her, her eyes shot open, and she pulled back, smiling gently at him as she nodded her head, ruffling his hair a bit.

"Of course I'm okay, Jay; sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Don't know what got into me... but you know that I love you, right?"

Jayden's mind was racing with everything he knew about her actions that summer, and everything that he had been hiding. He held a slight resentment for her, for practically ruining his entire summer with her dirty little secret. Of course, she didn't know that she'd ruined his summer, but she had.

Nonetheless, she was his mother, and he could tell she needed to be reassured right about now. So he nodded his head, shrugging one shoulder.

"I know that, Mom," he confirmed, sighing. "I love you too."

She smiled, kissing his cheek as she let go of him completely, and took a step backwards, nodding her head.

"Good," she said, and sighed as she turned back to the table, leaving a dumbfounded Jayden behind her. Jayden and Derek exchanged glances, and both of the boys shrugged, unsure of where her burst of emotion had come from. Casey didn't notice a thing as she picked up her dishes, and brought them over to the sink. She didn't even look back at the table as she turned the tap on, and began to rinse off her plate, and whatever other dishes were in the sink from lunchtime.

Ten minutes later, she had finished the dishes, and was drying them, and placing them in their respective spots in the cupboard. Jayden and Kelly had both finished their dinner, and had gone into the living room. Jayden was watching one of his shows, and Kelly was playing with her toys on the living room floor, under her brother's watchful supervision.

Derek, who had just finished his own food, walked over to the sink, and placed his own dishes down next to the sink, smirking as Casey placed a plate on the bottom shelf of the cupboard. He slid over next to her, his back against the counter as he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Once again, he was astounded by her weight loss, but chose not to say a word about it to her. She'd just get mad at him if he did.

"Hey sexy," he murmered, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth gently. He fully expected her to pull away, and claim that she had to do the dishes, but for some reason that he'd never understand, she grinned, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tight against her body. He could've sworn it had been a long time since they'd held each other this close. She pulled his head down to hers, and he found his lips melding gently with hers as she enveloped his lips in a gentle, but passionate, kiss. Happy for the gesture, he slipped his other arm around her waist, and hugged her closer. His lips moved against hers perfectly as she pressed him up against the counter, eager to continue the kiss. He felt himself desperately needing oxygen, but right now, he felt like he needed her more. He needed her touch, her kiss, her affection, and most importantly, her love.

But oxygen was a necessary component too, so he was finally forced to pull away, and gasp for air. She did the same, tangling one hand gently through his hair. Their foreheads connected, and she stared straight into his eyes, as though trying to memorize every inch of them.

"What was that for?" he panted, his chest still heaving with desire, and lack of oxygen. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but usually you push me away when you're busy..."

She shrugged, and there was something in her eyes that confused him. It was like she was sad, as she struggled to capture every essence of Derek's eyes in that moment. One hand trailed up to brush gently along his cheek, and trail down to his neck.

"Who needs to do dishes?" she asked, off-hand. "Life's short, right?"

Derek blinked at her a couple of times, completely shocked.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Casey Venturi?" he asked, and she laughed gently, before kissing his forehead gently, and returning her gaze to his. They were silent for a moment, before she held him tighter, cringing slightly for reasons unknown by Derek.

"You know I love you more than anything, right?" she asked, and he nodded as he rested his chin on her shoulder, and she buried her face into his neck, in a tight embrace.

"I know, baby," he murmered into her skin, unsure of why she was so emotional tonight. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd heard her say those three words to people, today. But he wasn't complaining as he smiled softly, and repeated the words right back to her.

"I love you too... even if we haven't told each other that much, lately."

"I'm always going to love you," she went on, as though she hadn't heard his last comment. "You'll never forget that, right?"

He frowned, a strange sensation coming over him. Something wasn't right. Something _definitely _wasn't right. Casey sensed the same thing as she pulled back, concern and desperation in her eyes as she fixed him with a serious look, her arms still locked around his neck.

"Derek?" she questioned, her eyes serious. "Answer me."

He nodded slowly, completely confused.

"Yeah, but... why are you acting like this?" he asked her, shaking his head. "You're acting really weird tonight, Casey. You're all emotional and stuff."

She got out some forced laughter, and shook her head, shrugging.

"It's nothing," she lied, knowing it was best to get out of there as soon as possible, before she was bombarded with more questions. "I'm going to go to sleep. I've got a headache."

Derek shook his head. His stomach felt absolutely sick, and he didn't trust her, all of a sudden. There was just something in her voice that he didn't like, right now.

"Casey," he started, but she cut him off by grabbing the collar of his shirt, and pulling him into one more, heated, kiss. This one lasted a few seconds longer than the first had, and this time, he waited until he was ready to pass out from the lack of oxygen, before pulling back. There had been so much desperation in her kiss, that he felt like he should hold onto it for as long as he possibly could, for her sake.

When she did pull away, his eyes were confused, and she smiled at him, shaking her head as she let him go, and backed away towards the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'm fine," she assured him, shrugging. "Goodnight."

Derek gave a little half-wave, a bewildered expression on his face as he watched her disappear from the room. He heard her footsteps retreat upstairs, and a moment later, there was the slamming of a door. He leaned back against the counter, his hands outstretched across the surface behind him. He blew out a slow breath, which ruffled the hair that fell just around his eyes. Casey was so confusing sometimes. There had definitely been something wrong with her tonight, but he assumed she was still upset from their visit with Jeff earlier. That had proven to be emotionally trying on her, more than usual, for some reason. That had to be it. There was no other logical explanation for it, right?

He slowly made his way out into the living room, and took a seat on the edge of the couch, his eyes focused on whatever it was Jayden was watching on TV. Kelly was giggling every couple of seconds as she played with her toys, and the TV was on quite loudly, but Derek could hear absolutely nothing. His eyes may have been focused on the television, but his mind was focused on Casey. He sat there for a half an hour, thinking over every single thing she'd said to him, since they'd gotten home that night.

It was all pointing to something; he just wasn't sure what it was.

He was snapped out of his trance by the sound of a loud crash from above. And all of a sudden, as his body tensed up, and froze, he knew. He knew without even moving that Casey had just done something completely stupid. The pieces were clicking together one by one, and he should've known. He should've read the signs. He was barely even aware of the fact that he stood up, and ran upstairs, yelling at Jayden to keep Kelly downstairs, at all costs. He was barely aware of the fact that he called out to Casey as he ran down the hallway to their bedroom.

But he was fully aware, as he looked at the motionless figure of Casey on the floor, and the empty bottle of painkillers in her hand, that he could've prevented this. And as he yelled out for Jayden to call an ambulance, he rather felt that she was right; he was definitely stubborn sometimes. And this time, it may have cost him the love of his life.

* * *

**Um yeah, so I'm going to say here, which I couldn't really say above, that suicide and drugs is never the answer to anything. I believe I should say that. Eek. Now you know why Casey was so emotional all chapter, which I'm hoping some of you picked up on. Anyway, I will update upon reviews. **


	20. Hospital Stays

**This is probably the first chapter in awhile that nobody will kill me for, at the end. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty: Hospital Stays**

Derek had been sitting at Casey's side for three hours now. He was seated in the chair next to her bed, looking down at her with such regret and sadness, that he couldn't even comprehend it himself. One of his arms was draped carefully across her stomach, and the other was combing through her hair slowly, again and again. He allowed the soft strands to slip through his fingers as he thanked God that she'd made it this far. The first thing he'd been told, upon arriving at the hospital, was that it may be too late to save her. He'd been with her in the ambulance, and had left Jayden at home to watch Kelly. He didn't want them to have to spend anymore time at the hospital than they had to already, especially not for something like this. The ride in the ambulance had been brutal, and Casey had been hovering somewhere between life and death at the time. He remembered it vividly, and it was not something he'd like to revisit again.

- - - -

_"What's her full name?" a paramedic next to Derek asked, jotting everything down on a clipboard as his fellow emergency response workers struggled to save her life. _

_"Casey Elizabeth Venturi," Derek said, his hand holding onto hers tightly, begging for some sense of reassurance that she was still alive. _

_He watched desperately as someone strapped a blood pressure moniter onto Casey's left upper arm, shouting out comands to the guy on his left, none of which Derek understood. _

_"What's your relationship to her, and are you eligible to make decisions on her behalf, if needed?" the man asked, not looking up from the paper in his hands. _

_Derek nodded quickly, fighting back the tears that were begging to escape his eyes right now. He wouldn't cry. Crying would make this seem so much more real. He raised Casey's limp hand to his lips, and kissed the back of it softly, sniffing. _

_"I'm her husband," he said, watching as the little colour left in Casey's face continued to drain away quickly. "And... wh-what sort of decisions are you talking about?" _

_The request for the removal of Jeff's life support kept popping into his mind, an ever-constant reminder of the responsibility that came along with being a father, and a husband. It was hard enough to be forced to make that decision about Jeff's life... but Casey... God, that would absolutely kill him. Without Casey... he didn't know what he'd do. _

_But his mind was set at ease when the worker merely shook his head, signalling that it was nothing too big._

_"We need someone to sign her forms, approving treatments and procedures, that sort of thing, since Mrs.Venturi is unable to do it herself, right now." _

_Derek's muscles relaxed, and he looked down at the woman in front of him. Her eyes were closed, and the reflection of over two months of pain was etched so clearly onto her face. He knew then... if anyone understood Jeff's suffering, it had to be Casey. She had been feeling nothing but pain for a long time now, and Derek rather thought that he really should've seen this coming. The way that she'd made a point of contacting everyone that night, of telling her kids, and Derek, how much she loved them... and the way that she'd even told him life was short... _

_God he was stupid. _

_"All my fault," he murmered, bowing his head down against her side, taking in deep shuddery breaths. "Should've seen it coming..." _

_"Don't blame yourself," the worker said, shaking his head. "I don't mean to be insensitive, but I really need you to answer these questions. It could make the difference of saving her life." _

_Derek drew in every ounce of courage he had, and drew in a deep breath, knowing he had to face this like a real man. Casey was depending on him right now, and crying and blaming himself wasn't going to do anything for her. She needed him to help her as much as possible, even if she didn't want to be saved. He needed her to be saved, and he vowed to himself to stay by her side until she was all better, no matter what it took. All he had to do was think of how much pain their family was in already, and how much Casey meant to him, and he was determined to make this go away. _

_He raised his head bravely, blinking back whatever tears had been forming in his eyes. _

_"What do you need to know?" _

_The man gave him a grateful smile, and began to ask the questions that Derek knew were going to save his wife's life. _

_- - - -_

He'd been banned from going into the hospital room when they had her stomach pumped, to clean her system of the drugs. She'd been inches from death, and nobody knew that better than Derek. He'd been completely opposed to the idea of having her stomach pumped, considering how little she'd been eating lately, and he had explained his concerns to the doctors. They had told him that they completely understood his issue, but that this may be the only way to save Casey, and that they could get nutrients into her later, once it was determined that she'd make it out of this.

And now, they were telling him that she was out of the danger zone, and that she was going to wake up. The matter was just _when_ she would wake up. He wasn't sure how much waiting he could take. After two months of watching Jeff lie there, unconcious, it was terrifying to wait for Casey's eyes to open up, to prove she wasn't going to suffer the same fate as her comatose son.

"Baby... please..." he murmered, his voice weak with fear. "I'm so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault. I should've been doing more to keep you happy. All the signs were there all along... the way you were saying you loved everyone, and... and at supper, the way you were acting..."

He trailed off, using his free hand to press in against his temple, hard. His eyes squeezed tightly shut, as he was absolutely determined not to cry over this yet. He bit down on his lip almost hard enough to draw blood, and he felt anger bubbling up in him.

"_Fuck_!" he hissed, the unshed tears beginning to sting and prick behind his eyelids. "I'm so fucking stupid! What the hell do you even see in me?"

Her hand was cold, and he gave it a gentle squeeze, moving his hand so that he could rub it gently between both of his, to warm it up. The moment he pulled away, he reached up with one hand, and drew the blanket up a little bit tighter around her chin, to keep her warm. There was an IV attached to her wrist, attempting to restore some of the nutrients she had lost, if there had been any left in her system to begin with, after her recent anorexic-like spree.

"You've gotta wake up," he murmered, pressing a gentle kiss against her wrist, thanking the heavens that he could actually feel a pulse. He figured it must be some sort of miracle, that Casey had survived this. She had completely emptied the bottle of painkillers into her system, not to mention the fact that she was undernourished, right now. He dreaded to think of what would've happened if he hadn't of gotten her into the ambulance in time, if it had been too late to save her.

He wouldn't have been able to handle it.

"Jesus, Casey... when I said take the whole damn bottle, the other day... you didn't honestly think I meant it, did you? Because I never. I'd never want to lose you, baby."

He was about to say something more, when he felt the slightest hint of movement within his hand. He jumped slightly, and he could've sworn it had been Casey's hand, twitching within his own. He waited anxiously, holding his breath, and not blinking, watching and listening for any sign of movement from her. But after a moment, he figured that he must have imagined it, for she was just as motionless as before. His shoulder slumped in disappointment, and he felt his heart's hope die away, but just as he was beginning to sink back into his state of grief, he felt the movement again, and this time, he knew without even looking that it was her hand. He squeezed it gently, hope fluttering through him, which he prayed wasn't useless, like last time.

"Case?" he questioned, and a moment later, her hand squeezed his, and slowly, very slowly, her eyes began to open up. He drew in a shaky breath, his eyes widening at the sight of her slowly opening eyes. Her eyelids were twitching slightly, and he could tell she was trying her hardest to wake up. Derek waited impatiently, silently begging her to open her eyes.

And a moment later, his wish was granted as she slowly opened up her eyes, and stared up at the ceiling, blinking a couple of times. She squinted in the unfamiliar light, trying to will her eyes to adjust to it. Derek was shaking with relief, and he thanked no one in particular in his head about twenty times as she slowly turned her head, her eyes falling on Derek.

"Derek?" she questioned, her voice incredibly weak, which alarmed Derek, but not to the extent that he was rendered speechless. He managed to nod his head shakily, his eyes wide with relief, love, and hope.

"It's me, baby," he whispered, afraid that he was going to cry. "I'm here for you, Case. Oh my God..."

He couldn't contain himself as he reached out, and wrapped his arms around her body, leaning down to hug her tightly against his chest. So many emotions were coursing through his head at the time, that he didn't even notice how tense her body seemed to be in his arms, and how she remained motionless, not hugging him back. He was so caught up in the idea that she was okay, she was alive, that he was only snapped out of his trance when she spoke up, her voice harsh in his ear.

"Why did you save me?"

He pulled back, his arms still around her as he smiled down at her, tears in his eyes.

"Why'd I save you?" he asked, through choked laughter. "I saved you because I love you, Casey. I thought that much was obvious."

Her eyes were cold as she shook her head at him, pushing her hands defiantly against his chest. He was confused as he was automatically pushed back a little ways from her, and he shook his head, confused.

"Casey, I... I don't understand," he told her, completely lost.

A look of complete and total pain crossed her face, and it nearly broke his heart when she started crying. The tears began pouring out as she glared at him through her tears, clearly upset.

"I didn't _want_ you to save me!" she cried, clearly mad at him. "Why do you think I took that whole bottle of painkillers, Derek? I wanted to end my life. If I was looking for an excuse for you to play superhero, I would've auditioned for a freakin' episode of Kim Possible."

Derek's heart broke, and he knew then and there that this wasn't the end. She wasn't happy to be alive. It killed him to think that she wanted to be dead; she didn't want to be here with him anymore. All he wanted, and all he had ever wanted, was for her to be happy, and for them to be together. But right now, it was obvious that she wasn't happy, and them being together could be torn away from him, should she try this again.

"C-Case, I... I can't say I'm sorry I did it, because I'm not," he admitted, trying to ignore how much this hurt. "I want you to tell me why you did this."

She didn't look surprised that he had asked her this question, and she allowed him to reach up to wipe her tears away from her cheeks. He cupped her cheek gently in his hand as he finished, and sighed as he waited for her to speak, unable to take his eyes off of her. Only a few short hours ago, he'd been terrified that he'd never see those pretty eyes looking up into his ever again. He'd been scared to think that he'd never be able to kiss her, or hug her, or talk to her, ever again. But here she was, alive, and if there was anything that this summer had taught him, it was that he had to be grateful for those he loved, while he had them.

"Please explain it to me," he said, grasping her hand to comfort her. "I want to help you."

"You would've helped me by just leaving me the way I was, Derek," she said, shaking her head. "I would've liked that alot better."

"That wouldn't have helped anything, and stop avoiding the subject," he defended, getting annoyed with her, but trying to keep it in. The last thing he needed was for her to get even more upset than she already was. He just found it cruel how ungrateful she was towards him for getting her to the hospital in time. He'd stayed brave for her in the ambulance, and for the past three hours, and he felt like he needed a little bit of thanks from her.

"Tell me what made you do this," he repeated firmly, his eyes staring into hers seriously. She looked very much like she wanted to argue with him, and fall silent, unwilling to speak, but for whatever reason, she chose to answer him. Perhaps she sensed how badly he wanted to relate to her, and help her through this.

She sighed, and allowed her fingers to slip through his, their hands entwining together gently. He gave her hand a squeeze, biting his lip as he waited for her to speak to him. She thought hard for a moment, wanting to say the right thing.

"You know how badly I've been depressed," she started, shrugging. "It's gotten worse as the summer went on, and you can't say you haven't noticed that."

Derek nodded reluctantly, knowing that he had to admit to the fact that he'd known that.

"I noticed, yeah," he offered, shrugging. "Go on."

She watched him for a moment, before continuing.

"At first, it was like if I distracted myself enough, with you and the kids... it was like, I could forget about it, even if it was only for awhile. But within the past week or so... I dunno, it's been like, I can't shake it. That tiny feeling of sadness and pain that's been there all summer just tripled, or something, and now I feel like the feeling that was took up a minority of my time before, is now the majority. And I can't handle it, Derek. I can't handle any of it, anymore. It hurts way too much. I wake up every morning, and I'm actually disappointed to even find that I'm alive. Do you have any idea what it feels like, to wish you didn't exsist?"

Derek was silent, finally lowering his eyes to fix on the bed next to her. He hadn't had any idea that she'd felt that way, about anything. When he gave no reply, too speechless to even attempt to answer, she went on.

"It feels horrible, I can tell you that," she informed him sadly, shaking her head. "And being at the hospital everyday to see Jeff, and knowing that he's in pain... it's just way too much on me. Even when I feel a little bit better, sometimes, finding that he's still in a coma can just completely wreck any progress I made that day. It's a never ending, vicious cycle, Der... and I'm not so sure I can do it anymore."

"You can," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear, and trailing his hand down to her neck, where he gripped softly. "God, baby... you can do anything you want to, when you try. You're Casey. When you want something, you go for it."

"That's what landed me here right now, though," she pointed out, smiling sadly at him. He paused, realizing that maybe she had a point, before she went on. "I went for what I wanted. I guess it didn't really work out, though, huh?"

"For me it did," Derek murmered, kissing the back of her hand softly. His eyes raised and connected with hers, and he wanted nothing more than to make the pain reflected in the shadows of her eyes disappear entirely, to be banished to someplace where such feelings would never return to her.

"You told me you wanted to take away Jeff's life support because you love him, and you don't want him in anymore pain, right?" Derek questioned, trying to make a valid point, one that she could reflect on, and relate to efficiently. She nodded, sensing that he was about to give her one of those choices that were impossible to argue with, without making yourself seem like a hypocrite.

Derek's eyes softened, and he shook his head at her, never breaking the eye contact.

"If you'll do it for Jeff, do it for us," he whispered, his voice determined. "Me and the kids. Can you imagine what they'd go through, if their mother died? Jayden's already lost his real parents, Case. Do you really think he needs to lose another one? And Kelly... the girl was in tears. I tried to keep her from seeing you, when we left, because I didn't want to scare her. But she saw them taking you out on the stretcher. The last thing I heard before I went through that door was her crying out for you to come back and see her."

She was silent as she cringed, staring down at her lap with guilt flickering through her eyes dominantly.

"And imagine what would happen, if Jeff woke up to find his mother had died, and he'd never gotten to say goodbye?" Derek suggested, trying to put every single con of this idea into her head, to drive it out of her mind forever. He never wanted to walk into his room to see what he had seen earlier tonight, ever again. His hand squeezed hers a little tighter, and he stood up, taking a seat on the bed next to her. His free hand reached down to stroke her cheek gently, and when he spoke, there was so much emotion in his voice that it nearly broke her down completely.

"And what about me, Case?" he asked, sounding like he didn't want to be selfish, but was deeply affected by this conflict, anyway. "You were honestly okay with just killing yourself, and leaving me here by myself, to face the rest of my life alone? How could you be fine with that?"

She cringed, her eyes shutting tightly as she sat up a little straighter, her back against the headboard.

"Don't put this on me now," she murmered, sounding like she was actually beginning to regret all the pain she had put her husband and children through. "You can't just spring all of this on me as soon as I wake up. I just... I can't listen to this, right now."

She turned her head away, expecting him to tell her it was alright, that they'd talk about it later, when she was feeling better. He knew that she expected him to act like the whipped husband he usually was, and let he rest until she was willing to talk about it.

But putting off having these conversations had been what had gotten her here in hospital in the first place, and he was sick of being ignored, and passed over, when it came to these sorts of things. So he shook his head defiantly, holding onto her hand a little bit tighter.

"No, Casey," he said firmly, speaking up for himself for a change. She didn't even move, figuring that he would give up, when she didn't answer him. But he felt himself grow angry, and he slid his hand out of hers, wrapping his fingers tightly around her wrist. He put gentle pressure there- not enough to hurt her, just enough to get her attention. And it worked. Her eyes turned to lock with his, confused and surprised by his sudden act of defiance against her. She frowned slightly, and tried her best to pout at him.

"Please..." she begged, not wanting to discuss the matter any further. "Not right now, Derek. My head hurts."

"Your head has been hurting all summer, and not talking has gotten us absolutely nowhere. So guess what? Right now, you're going to talk to me. You're going to tell me what's going on, and how you think I can help. And then, I'm going to call the doctor in here to take a look at you. You're staying here overnight, and tomorrow, we're looking into therapy, with the doctor."

"Therapy?" she questioned, her eyes widening. He had a feeling that his long list of demands had been shocking enough to her, but therapy had really taken it home for her. She waited for him to tell her that he was joking, or something of the sorts, but he did no such thing. He merely continued to fix her with that serious, and demanding look, one that signalled he wasn't going to back down; he was going to get his way this time.

"My old self can come back every now and then, and if there's one thing I'm sure you'll remember about me from back then, was that I always got my way. But you know what? I'm a good guy. Since we've been together, it's been all about you. Everything I do, in the long run, helps you. I don't do anything without thinking about how it will affect you, or the kids. But guess what, Case? For once, I'm taking back my say in things, and we're doing it my way."

Her eyes were wide now, and there was some sort of regret in her eyes- maybe because she was realizing that she'd been taking away Derek's rights, lately. Or maybe she was just amazed that he'd grown a spine around her, for a change. Either way, she was clearly taken aback by her husband's unexpected rise to power.

"You need help, Casey," he said firmly, shaking his head. "I'm not saying it to be mean, I'm just admitting it to you, and to myself. You need some help, and it's clear to me that your medication isn't going to cut it, especially if your abusing it. Even my comfort doesn't seem to be enough for you. And if it means I've got to get you professional help, so be it. I'll do it."

Casey bit her lip, clearly trying to find an easy out from this. There were very few escapes, but he knew that she'd try anything that came to mind, at this point. Sure enough, a moment later, she looked up, her eyes daring and challenging.

"What if I refuse to go?" she questioned, sounding curious, even if her goal was sounding defiant. Derek shook his head. He had gone through every scenario in his head. She was going, even if it was by force.

"If you don't agree to go to therapy, I'm going to send you off to a rehabilitation centre for depression," he said, shrugging. "I'm willing to live without the affections of a good woman for a little while, if it means I get the best woman in the end, and a happy woman, at that. Because, as tough as I may seem right now... sometimes, it takes tough love to help someone. And I'm completely okay with losing you for a few months, if it means you'll come back as the old Casey. The Casey who smiled, and laughed, and kept herself healthy."

She bit her lip, her fingers tracing tiny, random, outlines across the back of his hand as she thought hard about this. She looked down at the bedsheets below her, clearly contemplating this, and he waited. He understood that she needed her silence, to think of something to say.

Finally, she answered him, her voice slightly less annoyed, and a little touched.

"You've done alot of thinking about this, haven't you?" she asked, sounding like she was a little bit impressed with his quick way of handling things. He was firm, he was determined, and he was everything that old Derek would've been proud of, short of being a player.

He nodded, giving her a tiny half smile, one that indicated that smiling was not in his best interests, at all.

"I've done nothing but, since the second they told me you'd be okay," he informed her, breathing out what sounded like a pained breath. "I feel like this whole thing happened in two halves. The first half of the night was when I didn't know if you'd live. My head was swimming with questions of what would happen, how I'd tell the kids, how I'd manage to go to sleep at night, without you in my arms... and Case, I didn't have answers to any of those questions. Not a single one. And that sort of future was just so scary. I couldn't even handle it."

She was silent, and he took this as a sign to continue.

"But once they said you'd be okay, it was like... all I could think about was what I could do to help you, and make sure that nothing like this can happen again."

She still didn't answer, and he shifted closer to her, never breaking eye contact. His gaze as absolutely serious as he stared her down, his intent brave, and kind.

"So this _won't_ happen again, right baby?" he asked, sounding like he was telling her, more than he was asking her. She didn't look away, but she didn't say a word, and he frowned. "_Right_?"

She shook her head, lowering her gaze once more so that he couldn't see the pain in her eyes as she agreed to such a thing.

"Right," she whispered, nodding. "But I mean it, Derek. I will talk to you, I promise. But just... like... I dunno, can I have an hour, to rest? I'll talk then, I swear to you. I just need the rest. I feel lightheaded."

He observed her carefully, wanting to see if she was just lying to get out of having to talk about this, but one look at her fatigued figure told him everything he needed to know; she really didn't feel all that great. He knew she'd been through alot tonight, and needed the rest. Her eyes were filled with desperation, and her face was still pale as she drew her knees up to her stomach carefully, biting down on her lower lip.

"Alright," he finally agreed, nodding. "Go to sleep for a little while, but at least wait until I get the doctor in here to see you."

She looked annoyed, but nodded her head reluctantly, knowing that she had to draw a compromise somehere down the line.

"Okay," she agreed, sighing. He leaned in, kissing her forehead softly. He let his lips linger on her skin for a moment longer than they usually would have, just to appreciate her more. When he pulled back, he smoothed her hair away from her face, and shook his head as his hand trailed down to grip her chin softly.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," he warned her, his voice harsh and demanding. "I mean it."

She shook her head, sensing his need to be reassured.

"I won't," she confirmed, forcing out a tiny smile as her hand ran along his arm gently. "I promise you."

He nodded his head, kissing her quickly on the lips as he pulled back.

"Love you," he said, as he backed up towards the door, his eyes never leaving her face. It was as though he couldn't stand the thought of looking away, even for a moment. She nodded, the little smile on her face never leaving.

"I love you too," she said honestly, knowing that it was the God's honest truth.

He turned in the doorway, placing his hand on the doorknob. He turned it, but he was only halfway through the doorway when he turned back to her, the expression on his face slightly softer, and relieved.

"By the way," he noted, one hand resting on the doorframe, as he leaned his other half of the body against the open door. "I'm getting your doseage lowered."

Casey frowned, unsure of why he was suggesting such a thing. She supposed that he didn't want her to be getting as much out of it, so that she wouldn't become as desperate for the medication to ease her pain, even if she knew she wasn't dependant on the drugs in any way.

"Why?" she questioned, shaking her head.

The corners of his lips tugged gently into a smile, and he shrugged his shoulders, clearly excited about something.

"You wouldn't wanna risk hurting the baby," he offered up, raising an eyebrow. "We almost lost it this time around."

Without another word, he turned, and made his way out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Casey gasped, her eyes going wide as she listened to his footsteps retreat down the long, endless hallway. How the hell had he known?

"Derek!" she called out loudly, knowing that he probably couldn't hear her, by now. "Derek, wait! Come back."

She waited, but Derek did not appear again, and she knew that he would be too far by now to hear her call out. She couldn't even get up and go after him, which of course, Derek had already known. She was sure that this had been a part of the reason he'd told her like he had.

She slumped down in her bed again, a scowl playing heavily across her features.

"Stupid men," she muttered, folding her arms as she stared at the wall in front of her.

- - - -

"I think you're going to make a full recovery," the doctor said to Casey, tilting her chin up to look at her eyes, which were slightly more rested now. She had wound up falling asleep while waiting for the doctor. She had wanted to wait until Derek and the doctor came back before she slept, since she'd promised, and she wanted to talk to Derek about the baby.

But the doctor had been visiting a patient in another section of the hospital, and by the time that the men had returned, she'd been asleep. Derek had requested that they let her sleep, and the doctor had come back an hour later with Derek, to find her wide awake. Casey was trying to rush through her little chat with the doctor, so that she could ask Derek how he had known about the baby. She could only assume that the hospital had found out, and told him. But then again, he always was a sneaky guy. Maybe he'd overheard her when she had told Lizzie on the phone, the week before.

"Your husband requested that your anti-depressant doseage be lowered, which I'd recommend already, with a baby inside of you."

Casey's eyes flickered up to Derek's, but he was staring off into space, and didn't even notice that she was trying to catch his attention. After the doctor's pause, she looked back to him, not wanting to be rude.

"Your husband also mentioned that he wants me to refer you to some therapists, to get help with treating your depression more quickly."

She nodded, her body tensing slightly at this request. Derek was leaning up against the wall, but he did see this out of the corner of his eye. Sensing that she was slightly nervous about this, he pushed himself away from the wall, and perched himself on the edge of her hospital bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulers as she sat up in bed.

"Don't worry," he said, shaking his head. "I'll take good care of her. And I don't want to go through anything tonight. You said she has to stay overnight anyway, until the drugs are all washed out of her system, and I want her to rest, right now. Come back to us in the morning, and we'll discuss therapy then. I don't want her to be stressed tonight."

The doctor looked a little reluctant, but he nodded his head, straightening up, and tucking his pen into the front pocket of his shirt. He gave them a polite smile, to signal that this was okay.

"Very good," he agreed, his eyes falling on Derek again. "You said you'll be staying here with her tonight?"

Derek nodded, his grip tightening on her slightly. There was no way he'd leave her here alone, to fend for herself. Sure, she could do it, but he knew she was already stressed enough. The docto motioned towards a little button next to her bed, and the couple glanced down at it.

"Press that if you need anything," he said, backing up towards the door. "There's a phone out in the hallway, if either of you need it. Cafeteria is on the fifth floor, and you're on the third, right now. The bathroom is down the hall, just so you know. Anymore questions?"

They both shook their heads, indicating that everything was okay, and he smiled, before leaving the room. Derek sighed, looking down at Casey. They both knew that they needed to have a serious conversation about the baby, but neither one of them wanted to be the one to bring it up. Casey watched Derek, who was watching her, and finally, she drew in a deep breath, knowing that this whole staring contest, although amusing, was not going to help anything.

"How'd you know?" she asked quietly, knowing that she didn't need to explain herself. "Did you hear me telling my sister, or something?"

He shook his head, the hand that was around her shoulders moving down to rub her back gently.

"Nope," he told her, as she clung to his every word. "The doctors figured it out pretty quickly, and they asked me how far along you were. I couldn't tell them, of course, since I didn't even know I had another child on the way. But they figured it out pretty quickly, anyway."

Casey's head bowed down, and she stared at her feet aimlessly.

"A month," she whispered, her voice slightly shaky. "I only found out a week ago."

He bit his lip, leaning both of his elbows against his knees, his hands dangling in front of his knees, now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, frowning. "If I'm going to be a father, I deserve to know, don't I? Or does the whole 'providing-half-of-it's-DNA' not qualify me for that information?"

Normally, she would've laughed at his witty comment, but there was nothing funny about the situation, so she shook her head, her shoulders rising gently in a shrug.

"I don't know," she admitted truthfully. "I guess... with all of the stress that's going on in our lives right now, and with all of the fighting we've been doing, I figured you wouldn't want this. I mean, I know you'd never leave me because of it or anything; you know how to face your responsibilities... sometimes, but I figured you'd be sort of mad."

"Mad?" he repeated, frowning. "God, no. I'd never be mad at you for something like this, Casey. There are two of us involved in this, not just you. It can't be all your fault."

Her eyes flickered with relief, but the emotion was quickly replaced with fear as she remembered something.

"That's a lie," she accused, her eyes narrowing angrily as her entire body tensed up. "When we were visiting Jeff, you told me that you'd never want to have another kid, remember? You told me directly that you wouldn't want another child."

He laughed, and shook his head.

"You took that seriously?" he choked out, amazed. There was amusement in his voice, until he saw the pain in her eyes, and his own eyes widened with shock, as the pieces finally fit together for him.

"Wait a second," he said, shaking his head with disbelief. "Casey... was... was that why you did this? Because I made that stupid little comment about not wanting to have another kid?"

She wouldn't look him in the eye, and he gathered his answer from that. He sat there, amazed at how dense she could be sometimes. He shook his head, rubbing a hand against his forehead to try and relieve his headache, one that had been growing for hours on end, now.

"Dammit, Case," he murmered, obviously frustrated. "I can't believe you'd go and attempt suicide, because I said something like that. How did you not know that I was just frustrated? I _want _another kid with you. You don't know how much that excites me. Jayden, Kelly, and Jeff... they're all so important in my life, and to have the oppurtunity to share that one more time... it's amazing. Of course I never meant what I said to you, earlier. You had to notice that I was just venting."

"I wish I had," she muttered, her cheeks red with embarassment. "But you can't blame that entirely, okay? I've been considering it for awhile now. I probably would've done it anyway. I was already so stressed about telling you, and when you said that, it just... I could... well, I..."

She trailed off, and looked into his eyes, shaking her head when the words no longer came to her, an she was rendered speechless. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and it was obvious that all she wanted was to go to sleep, and forget about this horrible day; no- this horrible summer.

"I'm sorry," she said genuinely, her voice a gentle whisper. "I should've... I dunno what I was thinking when I..."

He had seen enough of her suffering, and he shook his head, extending his arms to gather her into his arms, for a hug.

"C'mere," he murmered, and slowly, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she hugged him tightly, allowing him to hold her. She knew that he needed it, right now. He needed this to know that she was okay, and she hadn't left him to fend for himself, to raise their kids alone, and to spend the rest of his life without anyone by his side, to love.

"Don't leave me," he murmered into her hair, terrified. "You scared me so much, Casey. I can't live without you here. Please... don't try this again. I love you, and I can only hope that that's enough to keep you going."

"I love you too," she whispered, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She blinked back the rest, not wanting to let go of Derek to wipe her tears away. She felt like she'd just broken down all of the walls that had been keeping her from Derek all summer. She felt like this was them, at their best. His love for her was so obvious, that she could feel it radiating from his hug. And her love for him, it was stronger than ever. She was scared that, if she thought of Ryan, her feelings would slightly diminish her love for Derek, or at least make it seem less important.

But when she thought of Ryan, now, all she thought of was her best friend's brother in-law. She didn't think of him as her dirty little secret anymore. Hell, she couldn't even think of him as someone she had a crush on. She saw a guy, who desperately needed the affections of a girl. And she'd been the girl stupid enough to risk everything to help him out. But really, she was just hurting everyone, and she knew that it was time to accept that, and try and come to some closure on this.

But there were consequences to deal with, and she knew that she had created a huge mess. There couldn't be anymore of this sneaking around business. She had to talk to Ryan, and sort every bit of her problem out. And she needed to do that as soon as possible.

"Derek," she murmered, when he finally pulled back.

"Yeah?" he whispered, not wanting to let her go, but sensing she wanted something. "What is it?"

She sniffed, and was able to use the back of her hand to wipe away her tears.

"I don't mean to bug you, but can you run to the cafeteria and get me some water, or something? Am I allowed to eat anything, do you know?"

He shrugged, unsure of whether or not she could have anything when they were trying to cleanse her system, and she was already hooked up to the IV. She did look sort of hungry, and he didn't want to pass up the rare oppurtunity in which she actually wanted to eat something. She hadn't voluntarily eaten in about three weeks.

"I don't know, but I'll go ask the nurse for you," he offered, standing up. "If you're allowed, what do you want me to get for you?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Surprise me," she requested, and he smiled back at her, nodding his head.

"I can do that," she said, nodding. "You told Jayden you wouldn't be home tonight, right?"

He nodded, backing up towards the door.

"'Right," he confirmed, happy that he already had everything settled away. "He called Edwin. I think him and Liz are on their way over, to stay there for the night."

"Okay," she said, as he turned the doorknob behind him. "Thanks Derek. I love you."

He returned the words, and left the room. She gave it about three minutes, wanting to be sure that he wouldn't be anywhere near her hospital room, before she struggled out of bed, holding onto the side of the bed for support. She wheeled her IV cart along with her as she left the room, peering out on each side of the door first, to make sure nobody was coming. When the coast was clear, she slowly made her way down to the phone, feeling weak by the time she arrived there.

She picked up the receiver, and dialed in the very familiar number of Ryan. She waited three rings before he picked up, sounding like he'd been asleep. She didn't even greet him; she cut right to the chase.

"I need you to come over on Saturday afternoon... around two," she said, not waiting for a response. "We've got a few things to talk about, and I'd like to get them out of the way as soon as possible. No, Derek won't be there, I promise you. You don't believe me? Just trust me on it, okay, Ryan?"

The hallway was silent as she listened to his response, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips when he agreed to her demands.

"Sounds good; see you Saturday,"

Without another word, she hung up the phone. Derek needed her, and even if it meant hard work and determination for a very long time, on her behalf, she was going to get better, get her act together, and make their life a hell of alot better than it was right now.

* * *

**Go Casey! There will be nothing but drama for the next few chapters, and speaking of which, they will very soon start to spin towards the end. There will be about 30, but still. Review, and I'll update with this whole "Ryan" thing. **


	21. Something Like This

**Read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-One: Something Like This**

"Derek, if you don't get on that plane, I swear to God I'm going to tie you to the wing, and _make_ you go."

Derek's eyes widenened slightly at his wife's harsh words, and he gripped his carry-on bag a little bit tighter in his hand, grinning at her.

"Geez, you really want me to go to Alberta, don't you?" Derek asked, laying his bag down against the wall behind him, and taking a step towards her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were having some sort of secret love affair, behind my back, and you wanted the weekend alone with some other guy."

Neither one of them saw Jayden glancing over at them out of the corner of his eye, a tiny frown on his face. He turned away again when Casey managed to smile a little bit, shaking her head as she moved forwards to wrap her arms around her husband's neck. He didn't know how close, but yet how far, he was to the truth, all at once. There was another guy, but she was _ending_ a secret affair, not persuing one.

"Nuh uh," she murmered, kissing the tip of his nose gently, before nuzzling it with hers. "You're my only man. I promise you."

"Better be," he said, his arms encircling her waist protectively. He pulled her a little bit closer, a sexy little smirk on his face. "Really though, why do you want me to go so badly?"

She shrugged her shoulders, unable to tell him the real reason that she was sending him and Jayden out of the province for the weekend. She needed to end things officially with Ryan, and she had a feeling that it could take awhile. She didn't want to do it at Cole's house, in case someone overheard them, and going out in public didn't seem like quite a good idea, if he were to argue with her about it. The last thing she needed was someone she knew walking by and hearing her break it off with a man who quite obviously was not her husband.

She did want him to go for another reason, the one that she'd be using as an excuse, but her need to talk to Ryan outweighed her concern for her husband's career.

"I told you," she said, shaking her head. "I want you to go and observe your company's work for a few days. They started filming that project about three weeks ago, and all you've talked about since is how big this project is, and how much this is going to help your company, and how this is your company's first actual movie. And it just doesn't seem right to me that the guy who is so proud over this project, and the guy who _owns_ the company, hasn't even been there to see how it's going. I mean, you're usually in and out of the sets all day."

"Those are local sets, baby," he said, shrugging. "And I've only been back to work for a month now, remember? I need to start small."

"Derek, this is your dream," she said, playing with the hair on the back of his head. "Do you remember what you told me when you started this company? You told me that it may be small now, but you wanted to make it to the top. You said that you'd be the happiest man on Earth if you guys got hired on to do a real, big screen, movie. You've gotten there, Derek. All those parties and documentaries and shows that you filmed... it all led to this. I'm so proud of you, and I want you to be able to see for yourself how far you've come."

"I said that like... years ago, Casey," he said, shaking his head as he let her go, and leaned back against the wall. "What makes me happy now is seeing that my wife and kids are happy. That shows me how far I've come, in the long run. I'm proud of the company, and myself, yeah... but Jesus, Casey, you got out of hospital five days ago. You attempted suicide. Do you honestly think I'm okay with going off and leaving you in that house by yourself'?"

Casey shrugged, as though she didn't see his point.

"I'm not alone; I've got Kelly,"

Derek snorted, running a nervous hand throug his hair as he shook his head, clearly not satisfied with this.

"Yes, because our two year old daughter is quite the aspiring paramedic," Derek said sarcastically, his voice harsh. "I'm waiting for Oprah to call anyday now for an interview with the world's youngest doctor."

"Okay, okay," Casey dismissed, placing her hand gently over his mouth to silence him. "She's not exactly a doctor, or anyone who could call for help, but I'm not going to do anything, okay? Do you honestly think I'd do something to myself, when there would be no one home to take care of Kelly all weekend? That's ridiculous, Derek."

He hesitated, realizing that she had a point, but still not entirely comfortable with the idea of Casey being all by herself in dealing with her depression.

"I'm still not happy about this," he admitted it, his eyes nervous and frightened. "I'm not at all comfortable with leaving you there, and going away for two days. At least let me leave Jayden home with you."

"Yeah, Mom," Jayden said, coming up beside his father, and folding his arms across his chest. "Let me stay home with you."

His eyes were suspicious and mistrusting, but yet filled with a concern for his mother, all at once. He was unsure of why he really wanted to stay home. It could be the fact that he was terrified of more cheating going on while they were gone, but he was also pretty sure that he was scared that he would come home to find his mother dead, or else seriously injured. If she did do something, nobody would be home for two days, and by the time they found her, it'd be too late. He just hoped that her argument about Kelly being a good enough reason to be strong this weekend would prove to be true. He was pretty sure it would; he knew Casey would do anything to protect her daughter, and that she wouldn't leave Kelly to fend for herself.

Casey's eyes were worried, and she shook her head frantically, forcing a smile.

"No, no," she argued, holding up a hand in front of her chest. "We already bought the tickets, and you love your father's work."

"I do?" Jayden asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since now," Casey said firmly, her eyes serious. "Don't you want to see all of the hard work your father has put in on this project?"

"No," Jayden said, giving a careless shrug as he shook his head. "I want to sleep till noon, eat all afternoon, and then go to Cam's party tonight."

Derek raised an eyebrow, clearly offended by Jayden's lack of interest in his family life.

"Well excuse me, Mr.Ungrateful," he said, glowering at Jayden, though it was playful. "Forget the company that got the money to put the clothes on your back, and bought you that XBOX 360 you wanted so badly for our birthday, and put that hat on your... hey hold up, that's my hat!"

The pullover tuque that Jayden had been wearing was instantly yanked from his head, and Derek scanned around, before spotting his daughter clinging to Casey's leg happily, one thumb in her mouth.

"C'mere, you little monster," he growled, and leaned down, swinging her up into his arms. He jammed the hat on her head, and it covered her eyes. At first she scowled, but she giggled happily as she lifted her tiny hand to push the hat up slightly away from her eyes.

"Silly, Daddy," she declared, jabbing a finger playfully at his chest. "Jay's hat!"

She took the hat off of her head, and flicked it at her brother, who caught it, and grinned at Derek.

"See, the kid's got brains!" he claimed, ruffling his little sister's hair, and smirking. "She doesn't seem to realize I took the hat from your room. I'm on her side."

Kelly blinked at her brother a couple of times, before reaching up, and grabbing the hat again, clutching it posessively to her chest.

"Daddy's hat!" she declared proudly, looking up at her father. "Right?"

Derek smirked, kissing his daughter's forehead softly, and nodding his head.

"That's right, baby. Don't you mind your brother; he doesn't know what he's talking about. But he was right about one thing; you do have brains."

"She's mine, isn't she?" Casey said proudly, raising an eyebrow at the boys. She glanced down at her watch, and squinted, before looking up at the digital list of flights. Turning back to her husband, she smiled sadly.

"You'd better get going," she pointed out, nodding towards the board, and then pointing at her watch. "Boarding is at one, and it's twenty after twelve. Jayden will probably make about fifty stops along the-"

"Jayden!"

The family turned abruptly as a girl rushed towards Jayden, and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him happily. Recognizing who it was, Jayden returned the hug, his hands spread out gently across Kayla's back, and neither of the adults missed the look of absolute affection that passed over his face as he briefly closed his eyes, hugging her a little bit tighter than a best friend normally would. Kayla didn't seem to mind as she pulled back, grinning at him.

"I haven't seen you all week," she said brightly, sounding sad about this. "How are you doing? Where are you going?"

Her eyes wandered back to Kelly, Casey, and Derek, and she blushed a little, giving a casual little half wave at the family that she knew and loved so well.

"Hey guys," she said happily, and they all waved at her in return. Jayden glanced over his shoulder at his family, and gave his father a knowing look, wanting a moment alone with her, without having to voice the request to everyone. He gave a little jerk of the head, and raised an eyebrow pointedly. Derek smirked, raising one back, and he shifted his hold on Kelly, sensing an oppurtunity to tease his son.

"Something wrong with your neck, bud?" he asked, as Jayden gave another jerk of the head towards the other side of the airport lobby. "You're jerking your head around an awful lot."

"Derek!" Casey cried, smacking his shoulder as Jayden went blood red with embarassment. "Be nice!"

"You be nice!" Derek said, scowling at her as he held Kelly tighter with one arm, so that he could nurse the spot she'd hit him. He nodded towards the little girl in his arms, feigning innocence.

"I'm with child, you know."

Casey almost made some snappy retort about how she had a child of her own inside of her, and that she had an excuse to be hormonal and moody, but she reminded herself that they hadn't told the kids about the baby yet. They weren't sure when they were going to do it, but they had decided to hold off for a little while. Jayden and Kelly had enough going on in their life, not like Kelly would really understand yet anyway. But Jayden was dealing with friends, and school, and his brother's coma, and his mother's depression, not to mention the secrets he had been keeping from his father about Casey and Ryan. He had enough on his plate, at the moment, and his parents didn't even know the half of it.

"Jayden, you go talk to Kayla, while I teach your father a few lessons about respect," she said, raising an eyebrow at Derek as she grabbed ahold of his sleeve, pulling him away.

"Oh, I'm scared," Derek whined teasingly, rolling his eyes as she dragged him off in the other direction.

"You should be," they could hear Casey saying as they walked off towards a bench on the other side of the lobby, as Kelly shook her head dismissively at her parents foolish bantering. Jayden scratched the back of his neck, still blushing as he turned back to Kayla, grimacing.

"Sorry about them," he offered, shaking his head. "They're embarassing sometimes."

Kayla laughed softly, folding her arms across her chest as she shook her head to indicate that she didn't agree.

"I don't think so," she said, shrugging. "I think they're really cute, actually."

"That's one word for it," Jayden said, snorting as he rolled his eyes, listening to Casey ranting to Derek across the room about respect, and there being a 'proper time for jokes'. He had to admit that she was going too far with that last point, for there was always a time for jokes.

He sighed, and then something struck him as he realized where he was, and who was standing in front of him.

"Wait a second," he said slowly, his eyebrows scrunching together with confusion. "Why are you here? Where are you going?"

She laughed, leading the way over to a small bench, where they both sat down, submerged in their conversation. She crossed one leg over the other, and sighed, looking up at the crowds of people rushing through to catch their afternoon flights.

"I'm here to drop my big brother off to his school trip to Germany, remember?" she questioned, nodding towards a taller guy across the room, laughing with his father over something. He was seventeen, and his name was Kyle. He was one of the coolest guys at their school, but Jayden had momentarily forgotten that today was the day that the seniors left for their trip to Germany. In fact, he'd barely spoken to Kayla since a couple of weeks before. He'd been avoiding her, annoyed by the sappy way that her and Cameron always acted around each other.

"Where are you going?" she finished, smiling over at him. He shrugged, his elbows propped up on his knees as his hands dangled in front of him.

"I'm going to Alberta with my Dad," he said, sighing. "His company is filming some big movie, and my Mom kinda convinced him to go check up on his business. She thinks I should go with him, but I really don't want to go."

"Why?"

"No reason," he muttered quickly, bowing his head so she couldn't see the dishonesty in his eyes. What was he supposed to say? That his mother was suicidal, his brother could die anyday now, he was falling in love with his best friend's girlfriend, and his mother was cheating on his father? Did he need to make a list of why he thought leaving his normal life for even a day might complicate things even further?

So he was surprised, nonetheless, when Kayla placed her hand softly on top of his, and put out her best comforting front.

"Is this about your mother?" she asked, and despite how soft she was being, he completely freaked. His head shot up, and he stared at her with wide eyes, worried and confused.

"What about my mother?" he asked, wondering what she was talking about. "What have you heard? Who told you?"

Kayla looked slightly taken aback by his mini-breakdown, but she merely took his hand again, her fingers slipping through his as she squeezed his hand for comfort.

"I heard from my parents that she tried to commit suicide," she whispered, shaking her head. "Jayden, that's awful. I can't imagine what your family is going through right now. Your brother is hovering somewhere between life and death, and... well, I know how close you two are. You've been freaking out about that all summer, and now your mother is depressed? I don't know how you're putting up with it."

"I dunno either," he admitted, blowing a strand of hair away from his forehead. "It would've been nice to have my best friend around lately. I could've used someone, especially on the night that my Mom was in hospital, and I was home watching my sister by myself. Do you know how hard it was, trying to tell her that everything was going to be okay, when I was pretty sure I was lying? It was awful, Kayla. So where have you been for the past like... month? Off with Cam some more, I suppose?"

Kayla's eyes had flickered with guilt, anger, and hurt, all at once, and she seemed unable to decide which emotion she wanted to portray the most.

"I'm sorry, Jay," she said, shaking her head. "You're right. I haven't been returning your phone calls and stuff, and I haven't been asking you to hang out. But it's just because... everytime we hang out, it's like you don't want Cam there, or something."

"That's because I _don't_ want Cam there!" Jayden shouted, attracting the attention of a few passerbyers. He glared at one man who had given him a disapproving stare, and he tried his best to sound threatening.

"It's called an argument, deal with it," he snapped, showing a side of himself that rarely emerged. Kayla glared at him, shaking her head as the man scurried off, blushing with embarassment.

"Jayden!" she said harshly, sounding surprised. "That was pretty rude."

His chest was heaving with anger, and he was no longer holding onto her hand at all. When she sensed that he wasn't going to respond, she went on.

"Why don't you want Cam there? He's your best friend, too."

Jayden snapped then. He was sick of hiding his feelings for Kayla, and he was sick of lying to everyone. He was sick of watching his best friend have complete access to the one girl he wanted more than anything.

"I don't want him there, because for once, I want it to be me and you!" he yelled at her, turning so that he was facing her slightly. "Me and you, like it was before Cam got involved. Even the three of us hanging out as friends was cool, but then you guys had to go and fall for each other, and it just made everything a mess. Now we're caught up in some freaky love triangle, and everytime I hang out with you, I feel like I'm on some screwed up episode of 'The Young and the Restless', or something!"

"You watch that?"

"My grandmother does, and that's _so _not the point!" Jayden said, blushing slightly. "How many times have I asked you to hang out, and when I show up, thinking maybe we can spend some time alone, there's Cam, the ever faithful boyfriend, and you're latched onto him like some lovesick puppy. And then it's like I can't get two words in for the rest of the day, because his lips seem to get in the way of your hearing, ninety percent of the time"!

Kayla's face had gone a pale white, and she was clutching the edge of the bench until her knuckles turned white. Clearly, there was something on her mind, and she was staring at Jayden with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Jayden," she started, and although he was only half listening, he gave a little nod to motion for her to go on. She swallowed nervously, her hands shaking as she voiced her question out loud.

"You said love triangle," she said, her voice fearful. "Why did you say love triangle?"

Jayden paled.

_'Shit_,' was all that was going through his mind. _'What did I do? What am I supposed to say now? How do I get out of this one?'_

But another part of him felt like he didn't want to get out of this mess. He wanted to come clean, even if it may mean losing both of his best friends forever. He had a feeling that Kayla would stick by his side as his friend, no matter what, and it was that knowledge that allowed him to gulp nervously, and look her right in the eye.

"I did say that, yeah," he admitted, clutching the edge of the bench, and feeling like he was about to pass out, or throw up. "And you wanna know why?"

She remained silent, and he took this as a sign to go on, to explain himself.

"I said that because I feel like I'm falling in love with you," he said, biting his lip. "I mean, I dunno if it's real love... I've never been in love, and we're only in high school, right? But my Mom and Dad met each other in high school, and so did my real parents, and... and..."

"Jayden, you're talking like this could actually happen," she finally managed to get out, shaking her head. "You know that it can't, don't you?"

His heart skipped a beat, and his breathing hitched in his throat. People around him were still moving, but he felt like his own world had just stopped. How could anything keep on going, or feel right, when his heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces? If this was heartbreak, it was the first time he had experienced it, and he vowed to himself never to come close to falling in love again. This hurt way too much.

"Why not?" he asked, not willing to give up a girl who he had spent the better half of his teenage years fighting for. "Why can't it happen? Give me one good reason."

"One good reason, Jay?" she laughed, her tone cruel and bitter, to his ears anyway. "How about I give you a few? For starters, there's the fact that we're best friends. We always have been, and we always will be. Then there's the fact that I'm with Cameron, who happens to be your other_ best friend_. I thought guys were supposed to respect each other, when it came to their girls? And thirdly, I don't like you like that. In fact, right now, I don't know if I like you at all!"

His palms were sweaty as he fought back tears. He should've kept quiet. He should've never told her about any of this. He should've known she wanted Cameron, not him.

"You can't say that," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I can't help how I feel, Kay. If I feel like I love you-"

"Stop saying that!" she cried, covering her ears. "Stop it, okay? You're making everything so much worse!"

"How?" Jayden cried, anger and heartbreak pulsing through his veins. "No, tell me how! By admitting how I feel? Sorry, but I was raised to be an honest guy, and you wanted to know why I said I felt like I was in a love triangle. And that's the reason. And if you don't feel the same, then that's not my choice. I've said all I can."

She stared at him for a moment, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as she stared at her best friend, the guy who loved her more than her boyfriend did. This was much too hard to even accept, right now. She finally shook her head at him, and stood up.

"I don't ever want to talk to you again," she hissed, clearly angry with him. "Don't call me, don't text me, don't email me, and don't you _dare_ come by my house. Cam will definitely have something to say about that."

"He's my friend," Jayden whispered, staring up at her, hurt. "He won't do anything to me."

Kayla snorted, backing up as she wiped the back of her hand against her cheek to get rid of the tears before she went over to her family again.

"Not once I get through talking to him, he won't be," she spat out, shaking her head. "Goodbye, Jayden."

"Kayla,"

"I said bye," she said bitterly, before turning, and running off to the opposite end of the airport.

- - - -

Derek was sitting down on a window ledge on the observation deck, with Casey. There were only a few other people in the room, most of them on the far other end, and Kelly was sitting on the floor in front of the large window, playing with one of the toys Derek had brought with him for her to play with. Casey was leaning back with her head against the window, her eyes closed. Derek sat by her, his hand rubbing against the inside of her thigh to calm her as the afternoon, autumn sunshine hit her face through the glass.

"You okay?" he asked, wanting to be sure that she was fine, before he left. "You look tense."

"I'm fine," she said, a tiny smile on her lips. "And by the way, you've asked me that seven times now. You're stressing me out by asking me."

"I'm concerned," he said, shrugging. "Can't a man be concerned about the woman he loves without having to explain himself? Especially when his woman did something as drastic as you did this week."

"Not gonna happen again," she said, sighing as she opened her eyes, and looked back up at Derek. "I'm fine, okay? I'm starting that therapy next week, you've got my doseage cut back, and I know I have to stay healthy for the baby."

Derek frowned slightly, his hand moving up to rest on her knee gently.

"So you're only staying healthy for the baby?" he asked, not satisfied with this. "So what happens when the baby is born, Case? You gonna go back to not eating, and overdosing on painkillers, again?"

She shook her head, sensing his concern. Worry was flashing through his eyes prominantly, and she smiled, reaching her hand up to stroke his cheek softly. His eyes fluttered closed briefly, and he reached his own hand up to cover hers, smiling as he kissed the inside of her wrist as gently as possible.

"I'm going to be fine, Derek, I promise you," she said, praying to God that he'd just give up and get on the plane.

"I told Cole to call you a few times a day," he mumbled, as he pulled her to his chest, and pressed his lips against the side of her neck, his face buried against her hair. She hadn't known this, and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head as her hands spread out across her husband's back.

"I don't need to be babysat, Der," she argued, feeling like some sort of child. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Mhm," he murmered into her skin, disbelieving. "In the meantime, you pick up the phone every single time he calls, or trust me, I'll know, and I'll be on the next plane back to London."

She laughed, shaking her head at his obvious persistance.

"You're so overprotective," she said, as he trailed his line of kisses up to her cheeks, and pulled back to look her in the eye, leaving her skin tingling. She giggled, her arms rising up wrap around his neck again, and she pulled him closer, her smile real, for the first time in ages.

Derek smiled back, clearly at ease with this new concept of actually getting along, for what felt like the first time in weeks. Well, they had gotten along, but she had usually been distant and moody from him, and now she was learning how to direct those negative and depressing feelings towards something other than Derek. What was more, the feelings were starting to disappear altogether.

"This is nice," Derek noted, shrugging his shoulders as her eyes filled with confusion. "You know... me and you... like this. I like it."

She pressed her forehead to his, smiling up at him as the confusion in her eyes disappeared, and was replaced by complete and total agreement with what he had just said.

"So do I," she whispered, nodding her head. "You're helping me so much, with all of this. I hope you know I wouldn't be getting better without you."

"I'm just that good," Derek noted, with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes. She should've known that saying something like that would just inflate his ego a little more than need be.

Before she could respond, there was an announcement overhead, from the speakers. Derek looked up as he listened to the announcement, and he frowned as the woman finished speaking, and the intercom shut off.

"That's my boarding call," Derek informed her, looking down at the girl in front of him sadly. She pouted, clearly wanting to spend some more time with him, but they both knew that this was his flight, and he had to go before he missed it. He had to find Jayden, something that hadn't occured to either of them in all of their seriousness, of the past twenty minutes.

They walked out into the main lobby, Kelly toddling along next to them, holding onto her father's hand tightly. It was busy near the boarding gates, so Derek lifted her up onto a chair, not wanting her to get stepped on or anything. When she was safely settled on the chair, he looked back to his wife, sighing.

"C'mere, gimme a hug," he said, smiling happily as she leaned into his chest, her arms encircling his neck as his own arms drew her to him in an embrace. He kissed the side of her head about three times, making her feel all warm inside. This was love. This was the sort of thing that made her absolutely sure that ending things with Ryan was going to be best for everyone.

"I don't want you to worry," she said softly as they pulled back just enough to still hold each other, but be able to look each other in the eye. "After today, our relationship is going to be back on solid ground, I can promise you that."

He frowned slightly, ignoring the call from the speaker above him that repeated the boarding call for his flight. Once again, Casey was proving to be more important to him than anything else.

"What do you mean, solid ground?" he questioned, sounding worried. "We aren't on solid ground now?"

She instantly realized that her wording had been a little bit off, and she kissed the corner of his mouth lightly, shaking her head as he relaxed a little bit.

"No; we are," she corrected, sighing. "I just mean that... all of this fighting... it's going to stop. When you get back, I'm going to try my best to beat this depression, and get back to my old self. You're gonna have to be patient with me, but it'll happen. I just need your support."

He smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose gently, his forehead connecting with hers as his eyes locked with her own in a deep connection.

"Whatever you want, you got it," he whispered, before pressing his lips to hers. They kissed for a moment, Casey pulling Derek as tightly to her as she could. She was proud of the feeling that floated to the top of her heart, one of absolute dedication to Derek. She didn't need Ryan anymore. This was all she needed.

At Derek's final boarding call, they broke apart, and Derek struggled for breath as he gave her one quick peck on the lips. She tried to let him go, but he kept holding onto her, pressing little kisses to her lips. She smiled against his lips, laughing gently as she kept trying to pull away from him.

"Go, baby... you've got a flight to catch," she reminded him, motioning towards the gateway in which he had to go. "Jayden's over there waiting for you."

Sure enough, there was a sulky looking sixteen year old standing by their gate, hands in his pockets, head bowed down. There was something about him, and Casey stopped smiling immediately at the sulky air that seemed to hang around her oldest son. Derek, who had his back turned to Jayden, hadn't noticed a thing, but he stopped fooling around when he caught sight of the worried and anxious look on his girl's face. He frowned, worried that he had said or done something wrong. He trailed his hands from her hips, to her hands, locking them with his as he attempted to look her in the eye.

"Uh, Case?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"Jayden," was all she said, pointing towards the moody teenager across the room. "Look at him, Derek."

Derek turned to look over his shoulder, and his heart dropped at the sight of his sixteen year old, standing against the wall closest to their gate, shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets. He looked more upset than Derek had seen him in a long time, and he knew that look. He knew that look so well, because it was the same look that he'd seen in the mirror for weeks after Casey had called off their engagement, years ago.

It was heartbreak.

"He was just talking to Kayla, wasn't he?" Derek aked quietly, already knowing. She nodded, and he sighed, closing his eyes briefly as he pulled away from his wife, running a hand through his hair.

"I think he told her how he feels about her," he said, watching as Jayden wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying not to publically show emotion. "And by the looks of it, she doesn't feel the same."

Casey took a step forwards, maternal instinct kicking in.

"Oh God," she whispered, starting towards her son. "My poor-"

"Hold up," Derek said, reaching out, an arm wrapping around her waist to pull her back to him. Her eyes were confused and saddened as she looked up at Derek, desperate.

"Why are you stopping me? My baby just had his heart broken for like, the first time. You can't expect me to just stand here and watch him."

"I know how you feel, and I know this is killing him right now," Derek said, nodding his head. "But let me talk to him, okay? The last thing I would've wanted when I was his age was for my Mom to come and baby me through my pain."

Casey pouted, her eyes darting back and forth between Derek, and her son.

"But I want to baby him through it," she told him, shaking her head. He chuckled, kissing her forehead lightly.

"You can't be there for him forever, baby," he said, sighing. "Trust me, I don't want him to hurt either. But he needs to learn to stand on his own someday. Just let me talk to him."

Casey stared at Jayden for another moment, wishing that she could break out of Derek's hold and run to her son. She wanted to tell him everything would be okay, and that he'd get through this, and then hug him to death, but she knew that would only make him temporarily happy. Besides, he wasn't a little boy anymore. Not everything could be fixed with a kiss on the head and a few magic words.

She knew Derek was right, and she turned to him, sighing.

"Fine," she said, defeated. "What are you gonna say to him?"

Derek frowned, letting go of Casey as he placed both of his hands in his pockets, and shook his head.

"I don't know, but we've got a long flight ahead of us," he said, sighing. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

He kissed Casey quickly, and pulled her close in a tight hug. He then kissed the side of her head, and grabbed his bag off of the floor.

"Love you, baby," he said, his words honest. "I'll see you and Kel here on Monday night."

She nodded, smiling as Kelly clung to her pant leg again, and she leaned down, lifting the child up into her arms. She adjusted her hold on her, then leaned down to whisper in her daughter's ear.

"Say bye to Daddy, baby," she said, and Kelly brightened, flashing him her toothy smile.

"Bye, Daddy!" she cried, waving her hand. Derek smiled at the sight of her. She looked so cute today, with her hair down straight, falling around her eyes. She had on a long sleeved pink and white striped shirt, with blue overalls.

"Bye, Princess," he replied waving. "Love you."

Turning back to Casey, he became quite serious.

"I mean it; don't forget to answer the phone when Cole calls," he reminded her, sounding worried. "I'm not above coming home early, so don't you think that for a second. I need to know that you're okay."

She nodded, knowing that he didn't have a thing to worry about, this weekend.

"I won't forget," she said, as Kelly squirmed slightly in her arms. "Good luck with Jay."

He gave her the thumbs up as he rolled his eyes, and began to walk backwards towards his gate. She stood up on her tiptoes, shouting out last minute instructions and demands.

"Call me tonight to tell me how it does!"

He nodded his head as he began to grow more and more distant between the crowd.

"Be nice-"

He nodded again, her voice becoming harder and harder to hear.

"And don't you dare tease him!"

This time, he didn't hear her at all, merely nodded his head to pretend like he had. Hey, she'd never know whether or not he'd really heard her.

- - - -

By the time Casey got home, Ryan was already there, sitting on the front porch, his hair falling in front of his eyes. When she pulled into the driveway and saw him, she expected her resolve to melt away completely, and she expected to be faced with her feelings of attraction towards him again.

And she had never been more relieved when the feelings that usually emerged, stayed buried in herself, directed only towards Derek, now.

She'd explained her lateness to him, and he'd been completely understanding, especially once he realized that this meant Derek was out of town. He'd followed her inside, and they'd gotten a few drinks from the kitchen, before heading into the living room, after putting Kelly down for a nap upstairs. She had sat him down on the couch across from her, clutching her drink tightly in her hand. She'd thought out everything she had wanted to say beforehand, before she had gone to sleep the night before. But as she sat here now, her mind was absolutely blank.

Ryan smirked slightly, shifting a little bit closer to her.

"Any particular reason that you wanted me to come here today?" he asked, raising an eyebrow cockily as though he already knew. "It's been like... a month, Case. Miss me that much?"

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "We need to... we need to talk..."

The smile on his face died away, and the colour drained from his cheeks as he frowned, clearly not comfortable with what she had just said. She watched as he laid his glass down on the coffee table in front of them, and leaned back against the couch, sighing.

"Oh God," he murmered, running a hand through his messy hair. "Nothing good ever follows those four little words."

She would've laughed, if there had been anything funny about the statement, but she couldn't find it in her to laugh at the idea that she was about to break up with someone. She felt sick at the very thought; she should never have to break up with anyone, because she was married. But she had gone down a wrong turn somewhere, and wound up at a dead end. But she was about to turn it all around, and she knew that she'd never go astray from Derek again.

"I can't say I have good news for you," Casey said, shaking her head. "I needed Derek to go out of town today so that we could have this little chat."

He waited anxiously, his eyes fixed on her, and she could've sworn her knuckles turned white from gripping the glass so hard. To be quite honest, she was surprised that it didn't break in her hold.

"I can't do this anymore, Ryan," she said, drawing in a deep breath. "This is wrong on so many levels, and I can't stand to hurt Derek anymore."

"He doesn't know," Ryan said, shaking his head desperately, his eyes wide. "Please, Case. I need you."

She laughed gently, shaking her head at him. She knew that she was right.

"You don't need me, Ryan," she said truthfully. "You want me. Derek needs me, and you know what? I need him, too. I love Derek. There's only one man for me, and that's him. As mean as it sounds, you were just a physical attraction, and a release... for when I was frustrated, I guess. I mean you're a good friend and all, but... this whole thing between you and me, it never should've happened."

"You can't be doing this," Ryan said, shaking his head. There was a sound of a door closing somewhere in the house, and Casey jumped a little, glancing around nervously. Had Kelly gotten out of her crib?

"Kelly?" she called out, confused as she waited anxiously for the little girl's reply.

A moment later, the sound of a toddler's voice could be heard drifting down the stairs, half asleep.

"Yeah, Mommy?"

She frowned, her eyebrows creasing together slightly as she realized it couldn't have been Kelly.

"Nothing, baby," she called out, shaking her head, before turning to Ryan, confused. "Did you hear a door close?"

He shook his head, his eyes still pained and upset.

"No, but that doesn't matter right now," he offered, and she sighed, shrugging. Maybe she really had imagined it. "All that matters is that I don't want to give this up just because you're growing a conscience. We've kept this little act up all summer, and you never had a problem with it before."

"I did," she argued, shaking her head. "I just didn't tell you anything. I feel horrible for cheating on Derek. I never should've done it. He's really the best guy ever, and I don't want to hurt him anymore. And if I keep this up, I'm going to end up doing that in the end. And my family means the world to me."

Ryan shifted closer to her, shaking his head as he frowned, willing to say anything and everything to make her change her mind.

"Derek _won't find out_," he said, grabbing her hand desperately. "God Case, he never has to know. He hasn't caught onto anything all summer, has he?"

Casey snorted, pulling her hand out of his as she tried to imagine Derek's reaction if he were to find out that the woman he loved more than anything had been cheating on him all summer. She couldn't stand it; she hated the look of pain that always came to mind, and the hurt that would flicker through his eyes at this news.

"Yeah, he doesn't know so far," she said, shaking her head. "But can you imagine the look on his face if he _did_ find out?"

Ryan opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter another word, a very different voice spoke up from behind them, in the doorway. Casey's heart skipped a couple of beats, and her palms began to sweat. She knew that voice; she knew without even looking who it was behind her.

"I don't know," came the voice of Derek, a mixture of hurt, angry, and confused. "But you know, I imagine it would be something like this."

And she turned to see the most heart wrenching sight in the world. Derek was standing there in the doorway, his eyes pained and heartbroken as he stared on with confusion, Jayden standing behind him, looking on with disgust. But there was something more in Jayden's eyes now, that hadn't been there for almost two months now.

It was relief.

* * *

**Just so you all know, Jayden didn't tell Derek about this. Everything will be explained in the next chapter. I told you there was drama coming. Oh, and you'll notice that Jayden is sixteen now, instead of fifteen. Keep in mind that, during the custody trial, his birthday fell in summer. I factored that in. And in case you are wondering, he has had girlfriends before, just not Kayla. Just thought I'd let you know. I will update with the next chapter upon reviews. **


	22. Gone

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I decided to be nice and post again today! So enjoy! By the way, there is an understandable use of bad language in this chapter. So you have been warned. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Gone**

Nobody dared to utter a word for the next twenty seconds or so. Derek was staring back and forth between Ryan and Casey, waiting for someone to say something, Jayden was glancing at each of his parents nervously, worried of what would happen, and both Ryan and Casey could only stare at the floor, because neither of them could think of anything to say that would make this right. Casey was scared to look at Derek. She was half afraid that he'd completely freak out, but she didn't want to see the look of hurt that would be on his face, either.

But finally, when it became apparant that no one else was going to talk, Derek realized that, if he wanted the truth, he was going to have to ask for it.

"Somebody had better fucking tell me what's going on here," he said, his teeth clenched angrily as he struggled not to break off and hit something.

"I think it's pretty obvious what's going on," Ryan said, looking up at Derek with one eyebrow raised. "She cheated on you."

Derek's hands clenched into fists, and he made a violent motion to go and hit Ryan. Jayden grabbed onto the back of Derek's jacket and hauled him back, which proved to be a struggle, considering how hard Derek was fighting to get to the guy who had taken his wife from him.

"Let me go, Jay," he mumbled, his eyes narrowed into little slits of anger. "I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna hit him until he doesn't even remember his own name."

"Dad!" Jayden said, his knuckles white from holding onto his father's jacket so tightly. He motioned towards the staircase, where the two year old had somehow gotten out of her crib, and was sitting on the top step behind the baby gate, watching the events unfold in front of her eyes. Derek was glad that she couldn't understand a word that was being said, because he didn't want her to know what her mother had done. But he also didn't want her to see him being violent, so he took in a couple of breaths, and relaxed, until Jayden trusted him enough to let him go. He did, however, keep a cautious hand near Derek's jacket, ready to haul him back if needed.

"Jayden," Derek said, his eyes locked on Ryan murderously. "Go upstairs and watch your sister. Make sure she doesn't come downstairs. I don't want her to see anything potentially traumatizing."

Jayden didn't need to be asked twice. He nodded his head, and darted off towards the stairs. When he reached the top, he hopped over the baby gate, and put on his best smile for his baby sister as he picked her up.

"C'mon, Rugrat," he muttered, trying not to let her see over his shoulder, where their father was glaring murderously at the other man in the room. "Let's go into my room. I'll let you look at the guitar again!"

"Guitar!" she exclaimed happily, and at the slamming of Jayden's bedroom door, everything fell silent. Derek stared at Ryan, Ryan stared at Casey, and Casey was busy staring at the floor, blushing furiously.

Derek waited, his hands propped up against the back of the armchair as he stared at the two of them, waiting for someone to say something that would help him to understand.

"Well?" he finally questioned, sensing that no one had anything to say. "Someone had better start talking."

Casey shifted uncomfortably, and for the first time, Derek gave her a hurt look, not understanding how she could even do this to him. Didn't their marriage mean anything to her? Realizing that getting emotional would only seem like he was weak, he replaced his hurt with anger, and glared at her.

"Casey, how about you? You seem to have been lying to me all summer. Maybe it's time for you to tell the truth for once."

She raised her eyes up to meet his, and he saw how upset she looked. She was fighting back tears as she shook her head, her lower lip quivering slightly.

"I never wanted to hurt you," she murmered, and despite how upset she already looked, he completely lost it then.

"You didn't want to _hurt_ me?" he yelled, laughing with disbelief. "That's a real freakin' laugh, Case. How did you think I would feel when I found out you were screwing around with some other guy behind my back? Do I look happy to you right now?"

"Please stop yelling," she begged, shaking her head at him. "Let me explain."

Derek snorted, rolling his eyes at her. It was so obvious to her that he was dying inside, and that this was eating him up inside, but he was trying his best not to show it. It was a sign of their obvious connection that she could see right through his facade, and see that he was heartbroken.

"Yeah, nothing you can say could possibly change the way I feel right now, but go ahead; I'm up for a laugh," Derek said, moving around to take a seat in the armchair. He rested his chin on his hand as he watched on, pretending to be amused.

"Go ahead then, explain yourselves," he said, and when she looked up at him through teary eyes, he softened slightly, biting his lip.

"Really, I mean it," he said, his voice a little bit softer than before, but still angry. "Explain this to me... please?"

She drew in a shuddery breath, and looked to Ryan, who had remained mainly silent throughout this little argument. Her eyes were focused on him for a moment, before she turned back to her husband, realizing that she was going to get no help whatsoever from Ryan. Maybe he was a bigger jackass than she had thought.

"My intention was never to cheat on you; I want you to know that," she said honestly, shaking her head. "All those times I was trying to convince you that we were just friends... we really were just friends, back then. Nothing had happened. But one day, me and you were fighting, and I went to the mall with Ryan, and I just... I didn't mean to... it just happened. He kissed me, and-"

"Did you kiss him back? How long ago was this?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she glanced over at Ryan, searching for some sort of time frame. Ryan finally noticed that she was looking at him, and decided to contribute something to the conversation. He gave a little shrug, acting like none of this really bothered him.

"Almost two months ago, I think," Ryan offered, and Derek's jaw tightened as he looked back at Casey, perhaps not realizing that this had been going on for so long.

"Was that the only time?" he asked, and she fell silent, biting her lip. Anger rose up in him, and he clenched his fists agressively. "Answer me! Was that the only fucking time?"

Terrified for the consequences of her answer, she knew it was best to speak up honestly.

"No," she murmered, shaking her head shamefully. "It happened a few times. On and off, over the past two months."

"Jesus, Casey," he cursed, slamming his fist down against the arm of the armchair agressively. He looked back up, ready to kill. "So I guess that answers my first question, which was that you did kiss him back."

She nodded, sniffing as she blinked back more tears.

"Yeah, I did," she mumbed, wishing that she could go back and change everything. "I mean, not right away. I told him it was wrong, and that we couldn't do it... but then we just sort of... I don't know what I was thinking, but I did. I kissed him back. I might've even started that one, but I don't remember."

Derek cursed under his breath, and glared at Ryan, looking like he could get up and attack the guy at any second. He tried to contain himself, and gripped the edges of the armchair so that he wouldn't completely break down and lose it. But that didn't get him very far, as thoughts of Ryan touching Casey, and kissing Casey, and her kissing back ran through his head.

And without another thought, he was lunging himself at Ryan, visibly shaking with anger.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled, as he hurled himself at the man, pinning him down against the couch as one hand found his throat. "How the hell could you even..."

"Derek, get off of him!" Casey tried yelling, as Derek kept Ryan pinned down by the neck with one hand, practically sitting on top of him as his free hand connected with whatever skin he could find. Within twenty seconds, Ryan's lip and nose were bleeding, and he was yelling out senseless words that Derek's ears would never comprehend.

Casey didn't see the point in telling him to give it up. He was much too angry to get off of Ryan at this point. The guy's face was turning red as he struggled to breathe, and his fingers found Derek's wrist. Gripping tightly, he hauled Derek's hand away from his neck, and in his freedom, managed to get one punch in. His fist hit Derek loosely in the jaw, but the pain didn't even register with him. He shifted to try and get more control, but slipped and sent them both tumbling to the ground, both fighting for dominance.

"I told you not to go near her!" Derek was yelling, panting for air, but not caring about something as insignificant as oxygen, right now. "I warned you too many times, you asshole!"

"And I told you I'd win," Ryan spat out, ignoring the confusion that spread over Casey's face, as she stared on at the two of them, completely lost. "I told you I was going to get her, and that you'd be left heartbroken, didn't I?"

"You _what?_" Casey cried, anger and hut bubbling up inside of her as her face turned blood red? Since when did Derek and Ryan have real conversations? Did this mean that she had been used by Ryan, in some sort of competition between the men? She was beyond confused, right now.

Unfortunately for her, neither man seemed willing to stop their senseless fighting for long enough to answer her questions.

"Why don't you take my advice and get to know your daughter?" Derek yelled, as Ryan kneed him hard in the stomach, causing him to gasp sharply with the slight pain that was associated with the blow. He recovered quickly, and laughed bitterly, pushing Ryan so that he hit his head off of the coffee table, cringing.

"Then again, maybe you should stay away from her. I'd be ashamed to call a bastard like you my father."

"Daughter?" Casey questioned, trying to speak over the boys. "Derek, what are you talking about?"

Derek stared down at Ryan, hatred glowing in his eyes, and without another word, he hauled back, and let him have it. His fist connected with Ryan's jaw, and he yelled out in pain, his eyes falling shut as he recognized that he had won. His chest heaving, and sweat forming on his forehead, Derek struggled for air, and pulled himself up off of Ryan. Ryan lay there, clutching his face as he bled from a couple of different places. Derek himself had a cut lip, and a slight nosebleed, but it was obvious who had won. Ryan hadn't stood a chance against Derek, right from the start.

Casey was sitting there with fear in her eyes, and Derek turned to her as he stood up, wanting to take advantage of the time that he was buying as Ryan lay on the ground, in pain.

"The guy's a homewrecker, Casey, and you were too blind to see it," he said, shaking his head with disappointment. "I tried to warn you; don't say I never. He's broken up two marriages, and he has a daughter that he wants nothing to do with, who was a result of one of those wrecked marriages. And you know what? I can't believe you were so stupid, that you allowed yourself to get caught up in his idiotic sweet-talking!"

Before she could respond, there was the slamming of the front door, and they both looked over to see that Ryan was gone. During Derek's little tirade, he had clearly sensed an oppurtunity, and ran for it. Derek didn't blame him; he didn't even have his dignity anymore, now that Derek was through with him. He didn't even feel remotely bad. He'd warned the little scum, and besides, nobody messed with his girl, and got away with it.

Unfortunately, this left only Derek and Casey in the room, and neither of them was really prepared to deal with the other one, right about now. But they both knew full well that this was not something that could be avoided, or discussed at a later time. This was here and now, and it had to be faced and discussed as soon as possible. Derek stared at her for a moment, watching as her head fell into her hands, while she gave a sigh of complete and total defeat. He wanted to yell, and he felt a lump forming in the back of his throat as he slumped down against the couch, running a hand through his hair as he struggled not to cry. Crying made him weak, and he refused to be the weak one here.

Words just didn't seem to be enough to explain how he was feeling, right about now. He was angry, he was hurt, he was heartbroken, and he was downright confused.

"Why, Casey?" he whispered, his voice shaking as he shook his head, completely lost. "Why would you do this? Where did I go wrong?"

She looked over at him, tears slipping from her eyes as she shook her head, signalling that she didn't know.

"I wish I could answer that for you; really, I do," she said honestly, sighing. "But you didn't do anything wrong, Derek. You're nothing short of amazing, and I don't want you to blame yourself. This wasn't your fault. I screwed up, big time, and... and I know that. I was trying to end everything with him here tonight, I really was. He just... he kept insisting, and-"

"It doesn't matter if you were trying to stop him, because you never should've done anything with him in the first place!" Derek yelled, absolutely frustrated. "Dammit, Casey. I would never do this to you. You got all pissed off and held a four year grudge over me making out with some random girl. I was _drunk_, Casey! And you called off our engagement over that. Yet here you are, cheating on me _multiple_ times, completely sober! What does that say, huh? At least I have something of an excuse, and at least it only happened once! You can't hold anything against me, anymore."

She shook her head, her eyes lowering to the floor again as she sniffed, knowing that he was absolutely right. She dabbed at the tear stains on her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, and shook her head, signalling that she agreed.

"I know I can't," she said, her voice shaky. "Please, Derek... can you just... can you try and show some mercy? I've forgiven you for alot of things, and I... I never meant to hurt you. Despite what you think, I really didn't. It was a simple lapse of judgement, and it's never going to happen again, I promise you."

Derek sat there, his hands resting on his lap as he stared off into space, clearly lost in thought. He seemed to be incapable of responding to her right about now, and she bit her lip nervously, tilting her head slightly to try and get his attention.

"Derek?" she questioned, and his eyes connected with hers, completely lost. He shook his head as he stared at her with disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," he informed her, trying to ignore the way she paled. She felt her heart beating about a thousand miles a minute, and she thought that she could throw up, everytime she opened up her mouth. Considering this, she kept her mouth clamped firmly shut as she listened to him carry on with his words.

"All I've ever done is love you," he whispered, not understanding. "That's all I've ever tried to do, was love you. And I thought you loved me too."

"I do!" she cried desperately, and it broke her heart to think that he thought anything otherwise. He snorted, looking away, and she grabbed onto his wrist tightly, turning him back to her. His eyes rested on her tear stained cheeks, and he cringed, watching as she finished speaking, her voice gentle.

"I love you," she said, shaking her head. He stared at her for a moment with disbelief, wondering whether or not he could believe her. One simple flashback to Ryan's face told him that he couldn't, and he gave her a look of disgust, wrenching his wrist out of her grasp.

"You don't love me, so don't lie!" he yelled, shaking his head. He stood up, every bit of anger from before racing back into his veins. "I think you've done enough lying to me this summer! If you really loved me, you wouldn't have done something like this to me!"

"Derek," she begged, watching as any bit of progress she had made with him slipped away from her quicker than sand through an hourglass. "Derek, please!"

"Fuck you," he spat out, shaking his head as he backed up towards the door. "I trusted you. Despite my better judgement, I chose to believe that all that whining and begging crap that you fed me about how you and Ryan were just friends! I can't believe I was so stupid!"

"Please-"

"No!" he cried, and without another word, he'd yanked his wedding ring off his finger, and chucked it down onto the couch. It bounced, and fell onto the floor, rolling underneath the armchair across the room. She watched as it disappeared from view, and she looked up at Derek, her eyes desperate for some mercy now.

"You can't..." she begged, sobbing. "I am so, so sorry for everything I put you through."

His eyes darkened, and he shook his head at her. As hard as he tried, he couldn't believe a word of what she was saying. She had lied to him, she had cheated on him, and she had been decieving him all summer long. How could he even trust a word that came out of this woman's mouth, anymore?

"You left me for four years for cheating on you one time, while I was drunk," he reminded her, a cold smirk on his face. "Do the math here, Casey. How long do I have to leave you for?"

She paled, and her stomach suddenly turned unpleasantly. He wouldn't actually leave her, would he?

But her question was answered as he shook his head at her angrily, with disgust, and turned his body towards the door. She didn't get a chance to say another word to him, before he had stormed from the room. A moment later, she heard the front door slam, and she knew then that he had actually left. She didn't hear the car start up, so she assumed that, wherever he was going, he would be walking. She knew that walking things off often helped him out better, because he had to use up some of that energy that would otherwise be spent yelling, and that the fresh air always did him some good. It helped to clear his head.

She found herself placing her head in her hands, but she couldn't cry anymore. No more tears escaped from her eyes as she sat there, struggling to get her breathing levels back to normal. She had no clue where Derek was going, and when he was coming back... _if _he was even coming back.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of one of the steps creaking to her right. Her head shot up, and she saw Jayden climbing cautiously over the baby gate, looking around the living room for a sign of any of the men. When he saw that they were both gone, he frowned, and came to a rest on the bottom step. His hand clutched onto the railing as he stared at his mother for a moment, as though he couldn't think of anything to say to her. She smiled as best as she could, though it failed desperately, and she bit her lip, shaking her head.

Sniffing, she spoke up, asking a question that she would've asked Derek initially, had their argument not gone so badly.

"Why are you home?" she asked, frowning. "Aren't you supposed to be on a flight to Alberta?"

Jayden took another step into the room, folding his arms across his chest as he kept his eyes fixed on her, anger flickering through them.

"It got cancelled due to engine problems. We sat on the runway for a half an hour before they told us. We got a cab home. But that doesn't matter right now. Where's Dad?"

Casey glanced up at the empty doorway to the porch, shaking her head sadly.

"I don't know," she whispered, and her eyes filled with concern as she looked up at Jayden, frowning. "Jay, do you... do you hate me now, too?"

His eyes narrowed, and he wanted so badly to say no. He wanted to tell her that he held absolutely no resentment for her, for ruining his entire summer with her stupid secret, even if she hadnt meant for him to find out. But, like he had said several times, he tried to be as honest as he could be, and this was no exception.

"I've known from the start," he said, his voice cruel and harsh. "And to say that I hold no resentment for you would be lying, because I do. I saw you kissing that jerk at the mall, Mom."

Her eyes softened, and she seemed to click all the pieces together, about why he had been so hateful towards Ryan, without even knowing him. It all made sense now, and she couldn't say she blamed him for a single thing. She would hate herself, too.

"Jayden, I'm so sorry," she said, and he glared at her, shaking his head.

"He's not Dad!" he yelled, his hands clenched into fists. "How could you like someone like him? You're married! Can't you just stay loyal? You ruined your marriage, you ruined my summer, and you're ruining what's left of this stupid family! I've been keeping secrets for you for too long, and I hate it! I hate that I've been watching you lie! I hate that I had to live with it all summer, and you know what? I hate what you've done!"

She was shaking, and she was too scared and taken aback to even bother trying to defend herself.

"Just leave me alone!" Jayden yelled, and without another word, he had run up the stairs. A moment later, there was the slamming of a door, and Casey was left on the couch in the living room. She had no Jayden, she had no Derek... she didn't even have Ryan.

She was completely and totally alone. And she knew that it was all her fault. And she knew that she would be insanely lucky if she ever saw Derek again.

* * *

**I updated twice today! Be nice and review, please! **


	23. Keep On Smiling

**Here's the newest chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and to answer some questions that you guys had; no, the question of the baby's father hasn't been mentioned, yet. It is slightly brought up in this chapter, but isn't an issue yet, because Derek hasn't questioned it yet. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Keep on Smiling**

True to his anger, Derek had been gone for three weeks. He hadn't called anyone, he hadn't emailed, he hadn't made any attempts to contact his family whatsoever. None of them knew it, but he'd snuck into the house the day after he left, and grabbed a couple of his things. He'd waited in Sam's car at the end of the road, and had waited until he saw Casey leave with both kids in the car. He didn't know where they were going, but he had taken the oppurtunity to go in and take some of his things. Casey had noticed, of course, that some of his clothes, not to mention his laptop, was gone, but she had decided against mentioning it to either of the kids.

School had started up again, and it was a rare occasion when Jayden came home with a smile on his face. He had virtually no one. Kayla had apparantly stayed true to her word, and had told Cameron everything that had gone on with Jayden, because Cameron wouldn't even utter a word to Jayden. Everytime he saw him, Jayden was rewarded with a very hateful glare, and Cam would make a point of wrapping his arm around Kayla's waist, as though to tell him to stay away, she was taken. All of his friends had wisely taken sides with the larger of the two, Cameron. He had absolutely no one, anymore. Normally, he'd be able to depend on Kayla to be on his side, but she barely looked at him. When she did, he was relieved to see that she did look a tiny bit sorry over everything she had caused.

Even when he got home, it was a nightmare. There were days that he preferred school to home, because being there was practically unbearable. Casey tried to occupy herself with cleaning the house, or trying to get some work done, when she wasn't looking after the kids. Jayden had to give her props; she was doing a good job with taking care of Kelly. She'd get up every morning in time to make the two of them breakfast. She'd drive Jayden to school, and by the time Jayden got home, she had lunch out of the way, and Kelly would be down for her nap. Casey would usually take this time to catch some sleep too, because she wasn't sleeping well during the nights, anymore. So usually when Jay got home, he'd have the house to himself for an hour or so. Nighttimes were usually hardest on Casey, and she'd spend alot of time doing things around the house that she'd already done ten times that day, or that didn't need to be done at all, just to take her mind off of Derek. It was so easy to tell that she was heartbroken without him.

The sobs that he heard down the hall everynight proved that.

He wished desperately that his father would come home. It wouldn't help his social situation at all, of course, but it might make home a happier place to be. He'd always been able to count on his family, when things got rough, but with Derek gone, Jeff in a coma, and things between him and Casey as distant as they were, that left only Kelly. And although he loved his little sister very much, she wasn't very good to talk to about adult stuff like this. Besides that, he missed Derek. The guy had been around since he was two, and all of a sudden, he was gone. It was pretty difficult to get used to.

He knew that Ryan was staying at Cole's again, perhaps waiting for a chance to talk to Casey, and try to make her his. Jayden would never let that happen. Ryan had been calling for about a week and a half straight now, and Jayden had deleted every one of the phone calls off of the Caller ID box, and had erased every single message. The two calls that Casey had managed to get to first had been ignored by her own personal choice. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk to him right now, either.

On a Thursday afternoon, when he got home from school, he was coming up the driveway, mail in hand. He sorted through it casually, biting his lip as he searched to see if there was anything for him.

"Letter for Mom, bill, bill, bill, birthday card for me? Oh, it's from Natalie; she never could get that right..."

He pushed it to the back of the pile, and his eyes widened slightly upon the next envelope in the pile. It was addressed to Casey, but that wasn't what shocked him. What really made his stomach turn was that it was from Derek. There was no return address, it merely stated 'Derek Venturi'.

He paled, unsure of what could be inside. If Derek had wanted to talk to her, he just would've called, wouldn't he?

He gulped, and put the envelope at the back of the pile, behind his birthday card. He wanted to open it up and see what it was that Derek had sent her, but he knew that, even if he replaced the envelope, Casey would know it had been opened up. Jayden had never quite learned how to forge his father's signature, even if he'd tried a few times. He was a teenager, after all.

When he got into the kitchen, Casey was surprisingly already awake. He reminded himself that he had taken a long time to get home, considering he had purposely taken the long way home to avoid running into Cameron and Kayla. He couldn't stand seeing those two together, anymore. But still, she usually wasn't awake this soon. She was seated on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, her elbows propped up against the counter before her, a glass of water clutched in her hands. She was staring off into space when Jayden got there, and he swung his bookbag onto the floor, not caring where it landed. He headed immediately for the fridge, and Casey looked up, slightly interested.

"Did you get the mail?" she asked him, her voice almost afraid to talk to him. The two of them hadn't really been talking much, lately. She had gotten the hint that Jayden didn't want much to do with her anymore, after all that she'd done to him that summer, without meaning to.

He merely nodded, and tossed the mail down on the surface next to her. She frowned, and picked up the mail, rifling through it carefully. She tossed aside the bills, and anything not belonging to her. He kept his head buried into the fridge for as long as possible, hoping to avoid the awkward silence that would exsist soon, but eventually, he resurfaced, with a can of diet soda. He placed it down on the counter, and grabbed a packet of Ritz crackers from the cupboard.

Pulling himself up onto the barstool, he slowly began to eat his snack, praying that whatever Derek had sent her wasn't going to be bad. This family couldn't handle much more heartbreak. If they could even be called a family, anymore.

He knew she had gotten to the envelope with Derek's name on it, when she drew in a sharp little breath, her hands clutching the envelope nervously. He looked up briefly to see that her face was white, adn she was staring at the envelope with a mixture of fear, and anxiety. She looked up at Jayden as he returned his gaze to the package of crackers before him, pretending like he hadn't seen a thing. She raised an eyebrow, holding up the envelope as though stating a point.

"Do you have any idea what this is?" she asked, as though hoping he had an answer for her, of whether this was good or bad news.

But he shook his head honestly, not looking up.

"Something from Dad, I guess," he offered, shrugging. "Open it up."

She bit her lip, but looked down at the envelope in her shaking hands, nodding her head. Slowly, she broke the seal on the envelope, and worked to open it up. She put on her best brave face, drawing in a deep breath as she gave an uncaring shrug.

"It's probably nothing," she offered, though he knew that she didn't even believe her own words, right about now. "Maybe he wants to have his mail forwarded him to him, or... or..."

Her voice trailed off as she dropped the envelope, and stared at the sheets of paper that had been enclosed inside. Her eyes were filled with hurt, and he could practically sense the tears coming. She covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to keep herself calm. As mad as he was at her, Jayden didn't want her to be upset, and he really wanted to know what had been in that envelope.

"Mom?" he questioned, frowning as he grabbed ahold of his soda can, and took a sip from it. "What is it?

She shook her head, reading over the first sheet, and then skipping a few to read another one. She hadn't looked this terrified since Derek left, and this worried Jayden.

"Mom?" he asked again, getting concerned. "What is it? Is Dad okay?"

Dropping the forms to the counter in front of her, she looked up at Jayden, fighting back tears.

"He sent me divorce papers, Jayden," she said quietly, shaking her head as she got out a choked and bitter laugh. "I don't know why I'm so surprised. I should've seen this coming, right?"

Jayden's heart had stopped beating; he could've sworn that. His stomach had turned, and he felt like nothing in his world was going to be okay again. If Casey and Derek divorced, there was no hope for anyone. He'd never met anyone who was more in love than those two. And if they couldn't handle something like this, who could?

"That can't be right," he said, shaking his head as he dropped the cracker he had been holding, and brushed the crumbs off of his t-shirt. He went to grab the forms from her, but he didn't succeed, since she was holding onto them that tightly.

He sat back down on his stool, shaking his head.

"Derek would never divorce you," he said confidently, his heart hammering madly in his chest, now. "This has got to be some sort of... of misunderstanding. He's just acting impulsively. He probably won't even go through with it."

She shook her head, heartbreak obvious on her every feature. She gave a soft laugh, one that did not indicate humor in any context.

"He already signed them, Jayden," she whispered, her voice completely broken. "He's serious about this, and I don't blame him. If I was him, I'd divorce me too. He wants to get rid of me, and move on... and if that's what he wants..."

She stood up, tossing the forms down onto the counter, and making her way towards the doorway. Jayden panicked at the tone of voice she was using, and he twirled around on his stool, shaking his head desperately.

"No, wait!" he called out, freaking out. "Mom, you can't just give up! He'll come around! He always does. Please, just give him some time to-"

Before he could finish, Casey had twirled around, her eyes red as she cried out her pain, completely disappointed in herself. She shook her head, and the sound of her pained words stung at his heart. She was his mother; he hated seeing her like this.

"He doesn't want to be with someone like me, Jayden!" she cried, trying to get her message across. "He's not coming back, okay? He's been gone for three weeks, and I need to start accepting the fact that he's done with me. He's made his choice, and if I were him, I'd be making the same choice. He'd be pretty stupid if he stayed with me after this. He probably hates me, and you know what?"

She sniffed, running a hand through her hair as she glanced around the kitchen, as though searching for some way to make this better. When she found nothing, she shook her head, and glanced back at Jayden painfully.

"I can't say much, because I hate myself for this."

She turned to leave, before Jayden could fit another word in, but she turned again at the last second, her hand resting on the doorframe as she gave him a serious look.

"By the way," she noted, her eyes fixed on her confused and hurting son. "Your Dad also sent some custody papers in that envelope. I'm guessing you'll be wanting to go with your Dad anyway, since you're ashamed to look at me, anymore. And Kelly, she loves her father anyway. That's cool, I guess... your father wants full custody of all three of you as it is. And I guess that I'll have this baby, and he'll want that too, no matter what. Guess this is what it feels like to be alone, right? But I made this life for myself."

She turned, and this time, she actually left. Her footsteps could be heard retreating up the stairs, and Jayden's eyes widened as he recognized what Casey had just said to him. He had been so busy acknowledging the fact that he was about to go through a custody battle again, that he hadn't stopped to realize what she must have meant in some of her last words.

"Wait a second!" he yelled out, jumping up with wide eyes. "Does this mean you're pregnant?"

He was answered by the sound of the door slamming somewhere upstairs. He leaned back against the counter, blowing out a slow breath, completely confused. That had gone well. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

His eyes darkened, and he stared down at the abandoned forms on the counter in front of him. Casey had always told him that there were moments where you had to do the right thing. And even though Derek had laughed at her ideas, and said that you just had to 'go with the flow', Jayden knew that Derek secretly followed the same method of action. When it came down to it, he protected the ones he loved. And right now, Jayden knew what he had to do. As much as his mother had screwed up, he loved her, and she had always been there for him. And now, he knew that he had to protect her from getting anymore hurt than she already was.

He pushed himself away from the counter that he had been leaning against the whole time. Making his way into the living room, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, knowing that he had to let Casey know where he was going. The last thing he needed was for her to think that her son had left her, too.

"Mom!" he called out, and when he recieved no answer, he went on, pretending like she had responded to him. He knew that he had been heard, anyway.

"I'm going out!" he said, as he grabbed his hockey jacket off of the back of the armchair in the living room, and shrugging into it. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

He waited, and when she didn't answer, he sighed, adjusting the collar of his jacket. He made his way towards the door, and stopped when he saw the car keys hanging up on the ring in the porch. He bit his lip, glancing towards the stairs again. Derek had let him drive a few times before, in the empty lot near his company, and besides, Casey would never know. If he tried to walk to where he was going, it would take him alot longer than he wanted to take. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, because he didn't trust Casey with her own pain right now. He didn't need to come home to another failed, or worse, successful, suicide attempt. He doubted that he'd get pulled over or anything, and even if he did, it was worth it. He didn't want to leave Casey home alone for too long.

So he grabbed the keys off of the key ring, making sure he didnt' make them jingle too much. Shoving them into his pocket, he walked out the front door, and to the car. He definitely needed to think about what he had to say to Ryan.

- - - -

Driving was alot easier than Jayden thought it would be. Sure, he wasn't perfect. He was going a little faster than he should've, but it was obvious that this was a direct influence of Derek's driving skills.

Nonetheless, he made it to Cole's house in one piece, and he parked the car in the driveway, breathing out a breath of relief. He wouldn't have admitted it, but he'd actually been a little bit nervous about driving. But now that it was done and over with, he felt quite proud. He would only be halfway here, if he had walked.

He climbed out of the car, and pushed the keys back into his pocket. He noticed that two girls that were sitting on the step next door were staring at him, clearly attracted to him. Damn, driving was worth it, if it upped his 'cool-factor', like this. They were staring at him with longing eyes, and he sent a little wink their way, running a hand gently through his brown hair, pushing it away from his face. Yeah, Derek's influence was definitely playing a factor into his character, these days. In the back of his mind, he found himself wishing that Kayla had the same point of view as these two did.

The girls giggled, and Jayden smirked as he made his way towards the front door of Cole's house. He leaned one hand up against the house as he rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to come to the door. After a moment, the door swung open, and he found himself face to face with Ryan. He wanted to smirk when he saw that Ryan still had markings, from Derek's actions three weeks before. They were very faint, and almost impossible to notice, if you didn't know the difference. There was the white, faint outline of a cut on his lower lip, and there was a very pale bruise around his eye, one that had faded considerably. Jayden knew that there had been several other injuries, and found himself wishing that he could've seen the way Ryan looked the next day.

But he knew what he was here for, and he looked up at Ryan, who was raising an eyebrow at the kid.

"Aren't you that Walker kid?" he asked, remembering that Casey had mentioned his real last name once, when the two of them, and Cole, had been talking. This was before the cheating had started, of course, and they had just been friends, at the time.

Jayden's eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself away from the house, straightening up.

"That's Walker_-Venturi_, bud, but cut the formals. The name's Jay."

Ryan raised an eyebrow as Jayden stormed past him, into the house, and he stared after him, slightly taken aback by the 'take no prisoner's' attittude that the sixteen year old was showing.

"Um, okay then, Jay... how can I-"

Jayden whipped around, pointing a finger threateningly at Ryan.

"That's Jayden to you," he snapped bitterly, feeling a sense of dominance come washing over him. He would admit that he was slightly nervous; Ryan was much bigger than he was, and could probably take him down in a single swing. And yes, he was a bit frightened. But his desire to protect his family was too strong to just ignore, and he he held his head high. All he had to do was give Ryan the impression that he was as tough as he sounded.

"Okay then, Jayden," he said slowly, shaking his head as he closed the door. Jayden cringed at the sound of the door closing. He didn't want to be here alone with Ryan. He was again reminded of how quickly Ryan could take him down. It would probably just take one good swing.

But he fought back his fear and gulped bravely as Ryan raised an eyebrow, following Jayden into the livng room that Jayden knew so well.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding like he pretty much already knew.

Jayden rested one arm against the back of the nearest armchair, glaring at Ryan.

"You stay away from my Mom," he said, pointing a finger dangerously at him. "Do you hear me? You _leave her alone_! Stop calling our house, stop texting her, because she doesn't want anything to do with you! She's through with you! My Dad will be back anyday now, I know he will, and if he so much as catches you calling her, he'll have you six feet under faster than he gave you that black eye."

Ryan blushed, and his hands tightened into fists as he realized that this was no calm conversation- this was a verbal attack, and a threat. He raised an eyebrow at the teenager, as though he really hadn't expected this. Jayden knew that he had caught Ryan off gaurd, and he took this as an advantage.

"Not only will my father ensure you don't live to see another day, but I'll personally see to it that you'll take so many hits you won't be able to see straight."

Ryan was definitely surprised by the teenager's words now, and his eyes widened slightly as he took a step forwards. He tried his best to act unoffended as he laughed, and gave Jayden an amused look.

"How old are you, kid?" he asked, looking Jayden up and down like he was absolutely nothing to him. "Twelve?"

Jayden sneered, glaring at Ryan as best as he could.

"I'm sixteen, thanks," he said, his eyes narrowed. "Old enough to recognize scum when I see it, young enough not to get in big trouble for kicking your sorry butt."

Ryan snorted, looking away as he tried to stifle laughter. He took a moment to regain his composure, before looking back at Jayden, red in the face with amusement.

"You're kidding me, right?" he questioned, shaking his head. "I'm twice your age, you little runt. You honestly think you could even get one hit in?"

Jayden smirked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped towards Ryan, so that they were almost pressed up to each other.

"Do you wanna test it?"

Ryan didn't even blink as he shook his head, his lips turned up into an amused grin.

"Don't mess with me; I'm telling you that now."

Not willing to back down, Jayden thought quickly, deciding that it would be best to just close his point now, and get his main message across one more time.

"Then I suggest you stay away from my mother," he said, shaking his head. "You've done enough damage to my family, and unless you want your ass kicked by another Venturi, then I suggest you take my advice, and screw off."

Ryan was quite obviously offended at the idea of being threatened by someone who was only half of his age, and bitterness replaced the amusement in his eyes as he shot Jayden a look of disgust and hatred.

"Don't threaten me, kid," he spat out, shaking his head at him. "I could crush you, and I'm pretty sure you know that. If your mother was stupid enough to get involved with me, then why don't you go home and threaten her a little? She was just as involved in this little affair as I was, and I'm sure she won't deny it. And hey, if your Dad isn't enough to make her happy, that's not my issue either."

"I suggest you shut up," Jayden said, his fists clenching tightly. "I may be smaller than you, but don't think I can't take you down. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you put down my Mom and Dad."

Ryan sneered, rolling his eyes as he looked away.

"They're not even your real parents; get a grip, kid,"

His last word had barely left his lips, and he found himself pressed up against the wall. He could feel the pain before he even realized that Jayden had punched him right in the face.

"What is it with you Venturis?" he muttered, as he touched his finger to his bleeding lip. Jayden had successfully reopened the cut that Derek had started, not to mention there was a fresh one forming right next to it.

"Don't you give any warning before you take a swing?" he said, shaking with anger. Jayden merely snorted, his chest heaving with anger as he stared on at the damage he had caused. He hadn't really thought he had it in him, but he guessed that there was alot he had to learn about himself. When he was angry enough, he was given more power than he thought possible.

"I gave you lots of warning, and you mocked it," Jayden said, shaking his head. "So what are you gonna say when someone asks how you got that? Tell them that a teenager hit you?"

Ryan pushed himself away from the wall, a cruel smile forming on his lips.

"No," he said, and Jayden didn't trust the tone of voice that Ryan had. He grabbed Jayden by the collar of his shirt, and turned them around, shoving him against the wall. "I plan on telling them that I kicked the ass of some snotty little kid who thought he could stand up to me and get away with it."

Jayden's eyes flickered slightly with fear. He may be tough, but what kid wouldn't get scared when some guy twice their age had them pinned up against the wall, threatening them? He didn't regret hitting Ryan- not at all. He had defended his honour, and his parent's, and that was something that he could never regret. But the consequences were something he feared.

Ryan was looking like he was about to haul off and hit Jayden, but at the next second, Jayden's prayers were answered as a hand clapped down on Ryan's shoulder, and hauled him backwards. Ryan released the collar of Jayden's blue and white hockey jacket, and Jayden reached up, fixing it so that it stood properly against his jacket. He looked up to see who it was who had come to his rescue, and he saw that he was looking right into the enraged face of Cole. He was gripping his brother in-law's shoulder tightly, and judging by the look of pain on Ryan's face, his grip was near bruising.

"I don't suggest you do that," he said, his voice harsh as he struggled to stay calm. "I'm a lawyer, and I'd really have no problem representing someone I care about in a case of abuse of a minor. You wouldn't want that, would you, _bro_?" he asked, tightening his grip until Ryan cringed.

"No," he murmered, though it was clear that he just wanted to break off and smack Jayden _and_ Cole, right about now.

"So we're going to let Jayden go now, aren't we?" he said, asking rather than telling. When Ryan didn't respond, he gripped the collar of Ryan's sweater, hauling him closer. "_Aren't we_?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes locking with Jayden's, full of hatred.

And without another word, Cole nodded at Jayden. Jayden was relieved to see that there was just as much care held in Cole's eyes as his father's normally would've. He was so lucky, and he knew it. His parents had died, and he'd gotten a second set of parents out of Derek and Casey. But even when those two couldn't be there for him, he could always fall back on Cole and Kallie for support.

"Get going, Jayden," he said, motioning towards the door. "Your mother is probably getting worried about you."

Jayden nodded as he glared at Ryan one more time, backing off towards the door. He shook his head at the man with disgust, before looking back at Cole.

"Thanks, Cole," he said, fishing for the car keys in his pocket. He was careful just to wrap his hand around them, not to show them to Cole, for he knew he'd get in alot of trouble with his mother if anyone knew he had taken the car.

Without another word, he ran out into the porch, and out through the front door.

And as he drove home, his mind still racing, and his palms still sweaty, he couldn't help but feel proud. He knew that, while he wouldn't want to promote violence to Jayden, Derek would be really proud of his son for doing what he just had. He'd defended his family, just like Derek had been doing for years. He was stepping up and taking his father's place in defending the family.

Someone had to do it.

- - - -

When Jayden got home, he parked the car in the exact position that Casey had left it, and went in through the front door. He hung the keys up on the rack carefully, trying not to make too much noise with them, and when they were safely in place, he kicked off his sneakers, and made his way into the house. Everything was quiet, and it was quite obvious that Casey hadn't come downstairs again. He knew then how lonely she must feel. Normally, it would be Derek who comforted her, Derek who convinced her that it was all going to be okay.

But Derek wasn't here anymore, and Jayden knew that he had to try and make her feel better. His Mom had done so much for him over the years, comforting him over anything and everything, and now, he knew it was his turn. He had probably contributed to her current sadness, by freezing her out and treating her like some sort of monster over the past few weeks. And he felt bad about that, he really did. What she had done was wrong, but he didn't have to act like he hated her because of it. He didn't hate her. No matter what, she was still his mother, and he didn't want everything to end like this- with his parents divorcing.

He sighed, and without taking off his jacket, he ran up the stairs, nearly tripping over his little sister, who was playing next to the baby gate that he had just closed. He locked the gate again, and considered just going into Casey's room, to see how she was. But he caught sight of the little pout on Kelly's face, and he knew that his little sister was upset about something. He was beginning to wonder how Derek managed to take care of all of them at once, because it was actually sort of hard, when everyone was upset like this. Then again, if Derek was here, they wouldn't _be _upset.

"Hey, Monster," he greeted, kneeling down next to her, his chin in his hands. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head, her lower lip stuck out, quivering gently. Jayden frowned, and sat down, his back against the railing of the stairs.

"C'mere, Kel," he said, and the little girl climbed up to her brother, allowing him to hug her. He ran his hand through her hair as he looked at the upset look in her eyes, pulling back a little.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice caring. He leaned in, grinning as he gave the tip of her nose a little pat. "I won't tell anyone. It'll be a secret, okay? Pinky promise."

Kelly smiled a little bit, though it was barely noticeable. She loved secrets, and she loved pinky promises. Jayden held his little finger out to her, and she giggled a little when she linked her own tiny finger with his.

"So what is it, Kel?" he asked, sighing as he sat her down on his lap. "Did you have a fight with Alexis?"

Alexis was her invisible friend, who's name changed at least twice a week. She had already been Rachel, and Sarah, this week. But she shook her head, indicating that this wasn't the problem.

"Miss Daddy," she got out, tears in her eyes. "Where he go?"

Jayden's heart dropped. There was alot of things he could've dealt with, with his sister. But this was the one thing that he wasn't sure on- the one thing that he couldn't decide how it would be best to comfort her.

"I don't know where he is," he admitted truthfully. "But he loves you very much, and I know he'll come back. He wouldn't want his little girl to be sad either, so you've gotta smile."

She tried, and when the corners of her mouth turned up a little, he grinned, and ruffled her hair.

"You're a Venturi, and I know you'll get through it," he said, and when she smiled even further, he lifted her off of his lap, placing her down on the carpet again. He glanced around him for something that would occupy her for awhile. His eyes landed on the colouring book that had been discarded on the floor earlier that morning. He grabbed a sack of crayons from the endtable between the bathroom, and closet, and sat the two items down in front of her.

"Here," he said, opening the colouring book to a picture of some kids playing hockey. "Colour this one for when Daddy comes home. I bet he'll love it."

She grinned, and nodded her head.

"Okay, Jay,"

Without another word, she carefully selected a red crayon from the bag, and placed it down against the paper, colouring in one of the kid's jerseys as carefully as possible, though it was still sloppy, of course. She was only a toddler; she wasn't perfect.

Jayden smiled at her, and made his way down the hall to Derek and Casey's bedroom. Breathing in deeply, he raised a hand, and knocked. He got no answer, and he began to feel panic rise up in him. She wouldn't have done anything, would she? The painkillers had been there, but she wouldn't leave Jayden and Kelly to take care of themselves, would she?

"Mom?" he called out, his voice nervous. "Hey, you in there?"

When there was no answer, his hand frantically found the doorknob, and he turned it, rushing into the room.

His heart only began beating again when he saw her sitting up on the bed, a picture sitting in her lap. Her knees were bent up in front of her, tilting the picture up so that she could see it. He froze in the doorway for a moment, just relieved that she was okay, and he bit his lip, clearing his throat so that he could get her attention.

She looked up, and he was surprised to see that she wasn't crying. He had expected her to be in tears, as usual. But her eyes weren't even red as she gave Jayden a little smile, nodding.

"Hey, Jay," she said, though her smile was incredibly forced. "Where did you go?"

He stepped into the room, his hands in his pockets as he gave her a careful shrug.

"Nowhere interesting," he lied, sighing. "Are you... are you okay?"

She shrugged, and he knew that she wasn't going to lie to him, and say she was perfectly fine, because she wasn't. She was nowhere near fine. Derek was her entire life, and he knew that she wasn't going to be able to carry on, if he actually divorced her. He hated to see what sort of lifestyle she'd develop, if this divorce was finalized. His eyes wandered down to her stomach, and he bit his lip, his eyes wandering back to hers. He didn't want to ask the one question that he would be afraid to hear the answer to. He didn't want to know if this baby that she was about to have was actually Derek's. He knew it would absolutely break Derek's heart if Casey had Ryan's baby. He could just imagine the look of absolute heartbreak on his Dad's face.

"I'm... I'm..." she tried, but she couldn't get the lie out, so she sighed, and shook her head. "-not okay. But I will be, eventually."

Jayden sat down at the foot of her bed, staring up at her with concern.

"Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that she was lying. "You really don't seem like it, right now."

"Don't worry about it," she said, and he noticed that she seemed a little nervous. He was going to question it, but before he had a chance, she had voiced whatever concerns were on her mind.

"You're talking to me," she said, sounding as though she was unsure of whether she should even be talking. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I was," he said, feeling ashamed. "But I don't think you need anymore pain, right now. I know Derek leaving has just sort of..."

She bowed her head down against her knees, sighing as she struggled to stay positive. As her knees slipped down a little further, he caught sight of the picture that she as balancing, and saw that it was one of their family pictures, from about six months before. Jayden couldn't see the detail of the picture, but he knew it off by heart anyway. He knew that Derek had his arms wrapped firmly around Casey's waist, his chin on her shoulder as both of their eyes swam with love for one another, and for their family. Jayden was standing to the left of his parents, tilted slightly to the side with Kelly up in his arms. Jeff was holding onto the hem of his older brother's t-shirt.

They were all smiling, and it was everything that Casey probably missed, right about now. He couldn't lie; he missed the happiness that their family had once possessed, too. He could handle it, with the help of his family, but he knew that Casey was going to have a hard time accepting any of this, especially when she was already depressed. He still had that gnawing fear, that she would turn to painkillers again, and he frowned, moving up to sit next to her on the edge of the bed.

"Mom..." he said slowly, biting his lip. "I just want you to know that... that even if Dad and Jeff aren't here... well, me and Kel... we're here, and we need you to... to get through this. So I don't want you to think that the painkillers are the only way to get through this. I know Dad wouldn't want you to think that, either. I know he'd be heartbroken if anything happened to you. So if you feel like nobody wants you here... well... me and Kel, we do."

Before he could see her reaction, he felt it, as Casey reached out and hugged her son, her eyes closed. He blushed a little.

"Aw, c'mon Mom," he muttered, slightly embarassed. "I wanted to make you feel better, not get you all emotional."

"Shut up," she murmered, laughing a little. "It's the first time I've smiled all week."

He relaxed a little, and returned his mother's hug, managing to get out a little smile of his own.

"Well in that case, keep smiling," he said, and he finally knew why Derek was always smiling. It felt good to know that you were helping to make your family a little bit happier.

* * *

**Anyway, that was a bit of a sad chapter, but Jayden is defending his family, which is something he carried on from the last story, I guess. Anyway, I will update upon reviews. The next chapter will be from Derek's POV as opposed to things on the home front. **


	24. High

**Wow, this is my fourth update in two days. I've actually been pretty inspired for this, recently. Only about six or seven chapters left. Thank you for reviewing! It means alot. Oh, and just a warning. There is some drug use in this chapter, so if you're offended by that sort of thing, don't read. Just wanted to let you know!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Four: High**

"Derek, would you come out of there? We've got company, and my cheesy pick-up lines can only get me so far!"

Derek groaned, pressing his hands up against his face with frustration.

"C'mon, dude," he called out to his cousin, Chris. "I told you, invite your chicks over, but I'm not going to have any part in it."

The door opened up to reveal Chris, who was practically a mirror image of Derek, with the exception of the fact that his hair was blonde, while Derek's was brown, and his eyes were blue, as opposed to Derek's brown ones. Their facial structure was the same, and the way that their hair fell around their eyes were identical. He was dressed in dark jeans, a white and blue band shirt. A black and sky blue band zip-up hoodie covered the shirt, zipped up halfway, and he stepped into the room, kicking the door shut as he held his hands up questioningly, shaking his head.

"Dude, keep your voice down!" he said, sounding horrified. "Don't refer to them as my chicks. They're nice, sophisticated-"

Derek snorted, rolling his eyes at his cousin's word choice.

"Please, Chris," he said, raising an eyebrow at him. "They're wearing skin tight tank tops and their asses are practically hanging out of their jeans."

Chris smirked, clearly proud of his accomplishments.

"I know," he said, nodding his head. "And do you not like those kinds of girls, or something?"

Derek sighed. No matter how many times he tried to explain this to Chris, the guy just didn't keep it near his thoughts for very long. Sure, those sorts of girls were sexy, and they were definitely desireable. But there was only one girl on his mind right now. She wasn't bleach blonde or anything, and her clothes weren't skin tight. In fact, she would never be caught dead hanging out with girls like these. But her long brown hair, and her beautiful eyes were standing out in his mind, and they were never going to go away. But her physical appearance wasn't all that was keeping her on the top of his mind. Her personality, too, was on his mind. Her kindness and sense of humour was something he just couldn't shake. All of the girls that Chris dated, or hung around with, had been here almost every night since he got here, every single night. Many of them were automatically attracted to him, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't attracted to them, too. But it was all physical, and everytime he so much as looked at one of them, all he could think about was Casey, and her touch, her kiss, her love for him.

And he missed it all so much.

"Sure, they're hot," Derek said, shrugging. "Sexy, amazing, whatever... but I'm married, Chris."

Chris pulled himself up into the windowsill, frowning at his cousin as a look of confusion passed over his face.

"Casey?" he questioned, shaking his head. "Dude, I thought you were divorcing that chick... no offence."

Derek almost laughed at Chris' casual mention of Casey as 'that chick'. Chris was only twenty four years old, so he was a good seven years younger than Derek. He hadn't settled down yet, and Derek knew that it could take a long time for him to do so. But he knew that Chris wasn't trying to be insensitive, or belittle Casey and Derek's relationship in anyway. But he was just like Derek had been, before falling in love with Casey. He couldn't understand the full concept of loving someone, and how moving on from true love wasn't the same as moving on from some pointless hookup. Derek wasn't even sure if he would be able to move on from Casey. His heart longed for her every single day, no matter how many girls Chris brought over to the apartment.

"I'm not going to bother explaining this to you, Chris," he said, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm divorcing her, but... that doesn't mean I don't love her, or that I'm ready to move on."

Chris shrugged, sliding off the windowsill with his hands in his pockets.

"Well there's no harm in trying, is there?"

Derek turned his head away, sighing. He couldn't deal with his cousin's advice, right about now. Chris seemed to sense that Derek just wasn't interested in hooking up with any of his little girlfriends. He just wanted Casey, but he was too hurt and mistrusting of her to even consider going back, right now.

Chris sensed this, and sighed, running a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated.

"Fine," he said, sounding annoyed. "Don't make a move on them, even if they are hot. But will you at least come out there? Dave is out there with Katie now, and I'm trying my best to hook up with Sammy, but that's pretty hard when she just _had_ to drag along her best friend, Christy. Everytime I try to make a move on Sammy, Christy whines that she's bored. "

Derek sighed, and removed his hands from his face, finally realizing it was best to just give in.

"If I go out there, will you shut the hell up?"

Chris grinned, realizing that he'd won. Yep, he was just like Derek, in so many ways.

"Yeah, I will."

Derek sighed, standing up.

"You _so_ owe me for this."

Derek was halfway out the door by the time Chris had hopped down from the windowsill, and called out a warning after him.

"Just so you know... she's a little bit on the tipsy side..." he waited for a response, but got none. He frowned, nervousness creeping over him. "Um, Derek?"

- - - - -

"And my real name is Christine, but no one ever calls me that, 'cause my sister called me Christy when I was three, and everyone said it suits me more."

Christy ran a hand through Derek's hair as he stared off towards the wall, his hands stuffed carelessly into his pockets. Hey, Chris had told him to come out. He hadn't said that Derek had to _enjoy _anything.

"Do you think it suits me?" she slurred, laughing a little. She was pressed up against Derek's side, her arm around his shoulders, and when she laughed, Derek could just smell the alcohol reeking off of her. He cringed slightly; it wasn't that he didn't like alcohol, but after he had stopped drinking, to stop being abusive towards Casey, he had sort of developed a very particular taste for it. He had to be in the mood to drink. And tonight wasn't one of those nights. Tonight, he didn't even want to smell the stuff.

There was music playing in the background, some hip-hop. Derek didn't know what song it was, but he liked the beat that pulsed through the apartment, sending vibrations through the wall. He could barely hear a word Christy was saying, but he knew he had to keep her occupied. Derek could pick out his cousin across the room, finally able to make out with whatever chick it was he had attached to his lips. His best friend Dave, and his date, Katie, had disappeared somewhere down the hall. Derek made a mental note not to go into Chris' room anymore tonight, because he had a feeling there would be some stuff going on in there that he didn't want to see. The living room was thick with cigarette smoke, and Derek kept choking on it. Nobody had smoked in his house, growing up, and nobody in their house smoked now. It wasn't that he was against smoking, or anything, but he really wasn't used to it. He'd spotted Christy, Sammy, and Chris smoking joints about twenty minutes before. He'd been offered one, but had wisely turned it down. The last thing he needed to do was get high, and do something really stupid. He knew the sort of mistakes he made when under the influence of any substance. He saw Chris doing all these things, and he had to wonder. Chris was twenty-four now. That had been Derek's age right before he got landed with Jayden. He had been somewhat like Chris, at that time. He'd been out partying every night, he'd brought back dozens of girls to his apartment a week, and he had skipped off work every second day. He had to wonder. If he hadn't of gotten custody of Jayden, and gotten back together with Casey, would this be where his life would be right now? In some smoke-filled apartment, smoking joints with three girls who's future screamed prostitute, and a crack-head best friend? Not to mention a loser cousin who had been cheated on by his wife.

He sighed, and only then did he realize that Christy was still talking to him.

"Derek?" she laughed, and she climbed onto his lip, straddling his waist. "I asked you if you think it suits me?"

"Does what suit you?" Derek asked, his eyes sliding back into focus as he struggled to pay attention. "Oh, the shirt? Yeah, real nice. That colour really, uh... brings out your eyes."

She glanced down at her shirt, frowning.

"But it's pink," she said, and Derek remained silent, not really caring. But either she forgot about it, or decided it didn't matter as she shook her head, a smile quirking on her lips.

"I meant my nickname, silly. It's Christy."

Derek finally remembered that she had been asking him that before he got so distracted, and he nodded his head. He squirmed a little, wishing that she would get up off of him. He didn't want her there, but he knew if he touched her to try and get her off of him, she'd probably read the signals wrong.

"Sure, it suits you," he said, trying to tilt his head back as far as possible from her, keeping his hands in his pockets. It was an awkward position, but Christy didn't seem to care as she laughed.

"Really? 'Cause I always thought it made me sound like that cookie guy."

Derek's brows furrowed together for a moment with confusion, until he caught onto what she meant.

"Mr.Christie?" he questioned, and she nodded, giggling. He shook his head at her, frowning. "That's spelled with an 'ie',"

"No silly, it's spelled with a 'y'," she got out, and he didn't get a chance to argue back before she had wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting in a little further to his chest. "You're really hot, did you know that?"

Derek squirmed uncomfortably, swallowing hard as she leaned in very close to him, her eyes staring into his.

"Um, I've been told that, but... you know..." he said, not really thinking clearly. The only logical thought going through his head was that he was married. He couldn't do anything with Christy, despite how tempting she looked right about now. Nobody was more tempting to him than Casey, and he loved her more than anything.

_'You're divorcing her!' _he reminded himself, as he watched Christy smiling down at him. _'You already sent the divorce papers out. You can do whatever you want; it's not like she can get mad at you. You're technically not together anymore, and besides, how many times was she with Ryan?'_

He nearly threw up at the thought. He couldn't understand why his mind was fighting with him so hard about Casey. If he was really going to go through with the divorce, why was kissing another girl so hard for him to do? All he knew was that it felt too wrong, too weird, too unloyal. And he knew that Casey had been completely unloyal to him for months now, but he couldn't seem to grasp the whole concept of letting go, and moving on.

"Derek?" his cousin suddenly questioned, after apparantly resurfacing for some well-deserved oxygen. He held out a joint in his hand, raising an eyebrow. "You sure you don't want one?"

Derek nodded, biting his lip. It sounded pretty tempting right now, but he didn't do drugs.

"No thanks," he said, sighing. He saw Chris shrug, and lay the joint down on the coffee table. Derek cringed at the sight of the other drugs that his cousin had left scattered across the table. Anything that you wanted, Chris was your guy. Derek was used to people coming by now, giving him money, and telling him what they needed. When Chris was gone out, it was up to Derek to take care of whoever came by. He couldn't complain. Chris wasn't charging him anything to stay here, and he'd been occupying his home, and eating his food, for three weeks now. He'd be a dick if he didn't do this one little favour for his cousin. All Chris asked was that, if anyone came by asking any suspicious questions... pretend like there was no lockbox under his bed filled with pill bottles.

"Derek," Christy suddenly said, placing her hands on his chest, and running them along the hem of his shirt. He gulped as he looked up at her. She gave him a little pout, looking hurt.

"How come we aren't makin' out yet?" she asked, and Derek felt his heartbeat speed up. Christy leaned in close, smirking against his ear. "C'mon, one night stands are good too, you know."

"Okay, that's it!" Derek declared, and everyone in the room looked at him like he had completely lost it. He went to move Christy, but pulled back, biting his lip as he blushed with embarassment .

"Uh, sorry, thinking out loud again, you know?" he questioned, and Chris looked up at his date, shaking his head as he waved a hand apologetically.

"Don't mind him... every tree has it's nut..."

Derek frowned as Sammy nodded, and pressed her lips to Chris' again. He looked back up at Christy, shaking his head.

"Look, I can't," he said, as his mind screamed Casey's name. He could just see her face in the back of his mind, and he knew that it was going to take a very long time for the sight of her face to disappear from his mind altogether. "If this was any other time in my life, like... say a few months down the road... years even, I might be ready, but... you know, I got stuck with some moody, cheating... complicated... _thing_, and she's like a damn disease, you know? Everytime you look at me, your face just sort of distorts and I just see her, and it's so freakin' frustrating, and maybe it's sort of a buzz from all the weed around me or something, I dunno, but it's kinda creepy when someone's face changes shape! I feel like I'm in a friggin' 'Exorcist' movie. I mean, you're obviously not Casey, 'cause if you were we'd have been gone into that bedroom a _long_ time ago, I can tell you that right now. But yet I keep seeing her, and it's driving me nuts, because hey! I'm the one who sent out divorce papers, right? But if that's true, then why am I having such a hard time kissing someone else? I mean, technically, we're not together anymore, right? Which technically means that I can see whoever I want. But it feels like it would be so disrespectful to just go off three weeks after I left her and start making out with some other girl. Well, I guess she did that with Ryan, except Ryan's a boy. But if I make out with you, is that wrong? Does that make me a man-whore, or what? And if I'm a man-whore, am I any better than Ryan? Wait a second, you're not married are you? Because if you were married, this whole situation would just be too bizarre for words, and I'd be going straight to hell. The only good side of that is that I might see Ryan there, and I can finish kicking his ass, but the sad part is I can't kill him, you know? Well, I'm guessing I can't... you can't kill someone who is already dead, can you? What happens if you do?"

He finished his rant, and Christy stared at him with wide eyes, a look of complete and total confusion on her young face. She squinted, and tried to make sense out of what Derek had just said as her blonde hair fell around

"Uh.." she stammered out, as Derek struggled for breath. He had used every ounce of oxygen he had to get that little tirade out, and he realized now that not a word of it had made sense, and he'd probably just confused Christy beyond belief. Confusing drunk people was usually funny, but this time, he felt so bad for the poor girl that he almost wished he hadn't said any of it, and not just because it made him sound mental.

"I just wanted to make out with you," Christy finally said, and it sounded very much like his speech had involved so much concentration, that she had sobered up a smidge. She shook her head, a weird look in her eyes.

"But now I've just got a headache, and... and... yeah, I think I need a Tylonel."

Without another word, she got up off of Derek, and headed over to the cupboard in the kitchen, where Chris usually had a few bottles of Tylonel kicking around. Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Well, that was definitely one way of getting rid of her. He sighed, and glanced down at the table, at the assortment of drugs that Chris had scattered across his table. He snorted; if this place ever got busted by the cops, Chris wouldn't see sunlight again in his natural born life. He'd be spending the rest of his life in a jail cell, next to some old fat guys with angel wings tattooed on their backs.

He reached down, and grabbed a joint off of the coffee table, sticking it into the pocket of his sweater, and grabbing a lighter off of the endtable. Chris must have noticed, for he wrenched his lips away from his date's, and looked up at his cousin, confused.

"What are you doing?" he asked, as Derek began to walk towards the hallway again. Derek turned, walking backwards towards his bedroom. Derek grinned at him, shrugging his shoulders as he flicked the lighter, producing a tiny flame.

"Cutting about a month off your jail sentence," he offered, and without another word, the door slammed, and the noise echoed throughout the apartment. Christy, who had just returned from the kitchen, stared after him, shaking her head.

"I think the guy's nuts," she said, and Chris shook his head, knowing that his cousin was dying inside.

"No; he's not nuts," he sighed, staring at the closed door, and knowing that Derek was probably just going to get high in an attempt to forget about Casey, if only temporarily. Chris rolled his eyes, looking back up at Sammy.

"He's just heartbroken."

Without another thought, Sammy's lips were on his again, and all thoughts of his romantically-doomed cousin were immediately driven from his mind.

- - - -

The next day, Derek woke up at twelve in the afternoon, to his hungover cousin asking him if he wanted to go with him to the supermarket, because they needed some food if they wanted to eat. Derek somehow stammered out an answer, saying that he was too tired, and he fell asleep again. By the time he woke up a second time, it was three in the afternoon, and he found himself very pissed off that he had wasted half of a day, like that. It wasn't like he was going to do anything productive anyway, but it somehow still got him angry.

He stumbled out into the kitchen, pulling the fridge open as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. He had no idea what his cousin had been talking about; there was plenty of food in the fridge. Derek glanced down to the empty bottom shelf, and rolled his eyes. It wasn't that there was no food there; there was no beer there. That was definitely all Chris was concerned about.

He closed the fridge, and yanked open the cupboard, grabbing a box of Poptarts. He pulled one of the packets open, and took a bite out of one of the Poptarts, smiling. Food always made him a little bit happier, in the mornings.

After his quick, and very delayed, breakfast, he got changed, and took all of his things out into the living room. He wasn't sure why, because he only needed his laptop, but nonetheless, when he sat down and opened up the laptop on his lap, only one thing was on his mind.

He went into his saved files, and clicked on one of his favourite videos. He had a large collection of home movies on his computer, ranging from high school, to a month before. The ones from high school had been salvaged off of the computer at his parent's house. He'd mainly wanted them so badly because they were mostly of him and Casey, back when they had first started going out. And sure, it was nice to see their parents, and their little brothers and sisters as... well... little. He always had to smile when he watched the videos of before him and Casey were an item. They were always arguing as the family shook their heads in amazement at them. It was so obvious to Derek, looking back, that they must have caused their family such grief, and he had to wonder how they had ever ended up getting married.

He was sure alot of people asked that question quite frequently. But nobody knew better than him and Casey that there was a thin line between love and hate, and they'd passed it at some point.

But today, he was in the mood for looking at something a bit more current. He clicked on a file that was dated from December twenty first, of the previous year, and he put it on full-screen as he sat back, and watched as the camera came into view.

_They were outside, and the figure of Jayden came into view immediately. He was dressed in a hat, gloves, his blue winter coat, and black ski pants. Snow was falling delicately all around the Venturi's backyard, and the sounds of the others could be heard in the background, as Derek spoke up. _

_  
"Our current subject is none other than Jayden Walker-Venturi. Our young man is quite the emotional little teenager, and his current hobbies include whining, sooking, playing his guitar, complaining that life isn't fair, and spending every penny before it even goes in his parent's wallet." _

_Jayden rolled his eyes, looking over at the camera as Derek did a close-up._

_  
"Not funny, Dad," he said, shaking his head, before he turned back to whatever he was doing. "Can you go annoy someone else?"_

Derek grinned, knowing that he was smirking as he held onto the camera, right about now.

_"Certainly," he heard himself say, and the next second, the camera had shifted to Casey, who was holding onto Kelly, as the little girl placed raisins carefully along a giant ball of snow, creating a smile on the face of her beautifully-created snowman. _

_"Why hello there, Casey," came Derek's mischevious voice, and she turned to him, her eyes annoyed. She saw that he had the camera, and she rolled her eyes as she tried to protest, hold onto her daughter, and be annoyed with her husband, all at once._

_"Derek, I thought I told you not to take that camera out in the snow!" she said, shaking her head at him. "That thing is expensive, you know!" _

_"Casey Venturi," Derek said again, sounding proud. "Mother of three, wife of the sexiest man on earth... she should be proud. Some of her hobbies include freaking out, having mood swings, yelling at this poor and innocent cameraman-" _

_Casey snorted. _

_"Innocent, right," she interjected, but Derek went on as though he hadn't heard her._

_"-and engaging in several exciting, and well-deserved sexual activities with-" _

_"Okay!" Casey interrupted, blushing as Jayden's cry of disgust could be heard in the background. "Time for the carrot!"  
_

_There was silence as Derek struggled to think of a comeback, and at the next moment, he had spoke up again. _

_  
"Hey, that's a little kinkier than usual, but if you want to go that way... sure," he said, moving towards her, and she used her free hand to swat at his shoulder. _

_"That was so not what I meant, Derek," she said, scowling. In a whisper, she added; "I thought I told you; no sex talk in front of the kids." _

_She got no answer, and she rolled her eyes as she pressed a carrot into Kelly's mitten-covered hand. _

_"Here you go, baby," she said, guiding Kelly's hand towards the snowmans head. "Nice and slow now, here we go... and..." _

_"BAM!" _

_Without warning, Kelly had thrust the carrot into the ball of snow, and the entire top half of the snowman crumbled to the ground again, the raisins that had once been his eyes and mouth disappearing into the snow, barely visible. Casey gasped, and Derek laughed as he moved the camera down to show the destruction that his two year old had caused. _

_"Cannonball, huh?" he questioned, and the sound of Casey explaining the meaning of 'calm' to Kelly could be heard in the background, drowned out by a little boy's voice. _

_  
"Daddy!" _

A lump rose up in Derek's throat as he heard Jeff's voice for the first time in months. He hadn't had the nerve to watch any of his home videos since the accident. He didn't think he would be able to handle it, and even right now, he wasn't so sure he was going to make it through without freaking out. The sight of Jeff's eyes looking into the camera, and the sight of him actually moving, smiling... it made Derek's heart wrench painfully.

But his camera-self had no idea of the events that would follow, in a few short months, and he merely zoomed the camera in on the six year old's face happily.

_"Hello there, short person," he got out, and Jeff laughed happily, shaking his head. _

_"You're mean!" _

_"Mean?" Derek asked, his voice surprised. "You think I'm mean? Well I'll show you mean, buddy!" _

_The next second, the camera had been placed down on the nearest step of the patio, and Derek could be seen tearing across the backyard, chasing the little boy around. Jeff's playful shrieks could be heard as Derek purposely went slower than him, trying to let him think he was winning as he called out playful threats. _

_"Come back here, and I'll show you what mean is!" _

_Casey could be seen crouched down next to the beheaded snowman, rolling her eyes as she watched what her husband, and middle child, were doing. _

_  
"Derek," she called out, annoyed. "Can you stop running around like a six year old, and help me give this snowman a head?" _

_"Why does he even need a head?" Jayden asked, smirking as he picked up the carrot off the ground. "Couldn't he just be like... some cool... dismembered thing... like a headless horseman?" _

_"Ew, no!" Casey cried, shaking her head. "And don't talk like that in front of your sister!" _

_Derek could be seen a few feet away from her, picking up Jeff in the air and swinging him around in a circle, careful not to drop him. The next thing that could be seen was Derek losing balance, and going flying towards where the rest of the family was crouched, trying to repair the snowman. Jayden was the first one to see his father and brother coming tumbling towards them, and his eyes widened as he recognized that they were about to be trampled. _

_"Uh, guys?" _

_"The snowman is getting a new head, Jay; get over it!" Casey mumbled, frustrated as she picked up the raisins off the ground, watching as Kelly ate every single one she placed into the pile. She shook her head at her daughter, frowning._

_"Those aren't for eating, baby!" she said, placing them down on her other side, as Kelly pouted. Before another word could be uttered, there was a giant explosion of white power as Jeff and Derek crashed into the snowman, eliminating the other parts of his body. Derek took Casey down in the process, and when the snow finally cleared enough to see anything, there was little wet specks on the camera lens, which nobody really seemed to care about, or notice. _

_Jeff was lying next to his father, still tangled up in him, and Casey was lying somewhere across Derek's chest, spitting out mouthfuls of snow. Jayden was no longer in view, but he could be heard laughing hysterically at his parent's situation as he came closer to the camera, somewhere on the side. _

_  
"Derek!" Casey cried angrily, brushing the snow out of her hair. "I told you to stop acting like a child!" _

_She paused, looking towards the camera. _

_"Jay, turn that thing off." _

Blackness appeared on screen, and Derek had to smile faintly. They had been so happy back then. Where had it all gone wrong? If Jeff had never been hit by that car, Ryan never would've gotten called to London to watch his niece and nephew, and none of this would've happened. Casey would've stayed faithful, and he wouldn't be heartbroken right now.

He wanted to go back; he really did. But how was he supposed to trust her, after all of this? This wasn't just something that could be fixed with a few kisses, and a couple of apologies. Even if it had just been one time, he might've been able to get over it. But Casey had admitted to cheating on him on multiple occasions, with that sick bastard.

Derek sighed as he tilted his head back against the back of the couch, tired. His eyes fell closed as he listened to the announcements on the radio go by. He hadn't even realized the radio had been on. He guessed that Chris must have left it on earlier that morning, but the sound from his laptop had been drowning it out.

He didn't want to think about Casey anymore today. That would get him nowhere, right about now. But there was nothing very interesting being said through those speakers; he would never fully understand why the radio had commercials anyway. The radio had been designed for song use, hadn't it?

He sighed, and pressed the off button on the radio, flicking the television on at the same time. The afternoon news was on, and he sighed, tuning into whatever the newslady was talking about.

"In other news, a thirty two year old woman from London has been found dead in her home," the woman said, and Derek's head snapped up immediately. Those two traits had definitely caught his attention.

"Investigators have confirmed that the death of this mother of three was the direct result of suicide, and they have completely ruled out foul play," the woman went on, looking serious as Derek's eyes widened. "The name of the woman, and the details of her death, will not be released until all family members are notified."

Derek wasn't even there to hear the rest of the announcement. By the end of the woman's sentence, he had grabbed his belongings off the floor next to the couch, and was gone.

* * *

**So I guess it's pretty obvious that Derek wants to go home, to make sure it wasn't Casey. Just to clarify that, if you were confused. Review, and I will update again. **


	25. Restoring Trust

**Sorry for not posting sooner, after a cliffhanger, too! I was sick, and I was working, and school, and welcoming a new little family member! Anyway, point is, sorry! Here's the next chapter, and it's long, so I hope it makes up for it. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Restoring Trust**

The cab back to London cost Derek a fortune. It was hard enough finding a driver who was willing to drive to London from Toronto. He'd been turned away by three companies, and by the time he had found the cab who would take him there, he didn't care how much it cost. After about a half an hour, when the meter was climbing higher and higher, he began to realize that it would've been much better if he had called his cousin home, and asked for a ride, but he knew that he hadn't been thinking straight at the time, and that Chris would've taken forever to get home anyway. And he didn't have that long. He needed to get home as soon as possible to ensure that the woman that they had mentioned on the news was not his wife. It could just be coincidental that the woman was from London, had three kids, and was the same age as Casey, right?

That was what he told himself all the way to London, as he desperately wished his cellphone hadn't died. He had left his charger at home by accident, and after his cellphone died on his third day away from home, he had just started using the house phone... not like he called very many people, anyway. The extent of his phone calls lately had been taxis, and pizza services.

By the time the cab pulled up in front of his house, and he dished out about a week's pay to the cab driver, he grabbed his bag and got out. He stood at the foot of the driveway for a moment, staring up at the home he hadn't seen in three weeks. It was dark out by now, and the porch light was on, almost welcoming him home. He could see that the living room lights were still on, and he could make out the faint blue rays of light from the TV hitting the walls, lighting them up.

He stood at the foot of the driveway for a good twenty seconds, staring up at the house in front of him. That house held so many memories, for their entire family. They'd been living there for about eight years now, and it had been the only home that Jeff and Kelly had ever known. Before they had moved back to London, a month before Christmas of the year that they had gotten back together, they had all lived in Toronto. Neither one of their apartments had been big enough to house the three of them, and eventually a baby. They had stayed in their seperate apartments, searching constantly for a house that they could all agree on. Casey wanted something in a nice area, while both Derek and Jayden had wanted something with a big enough backyard to play soccer. She had always found it funny how the boys had only been concerned about the outside aspect of the home, while she had been interested in the interior, and the quality. The only thing that they could all agree on was that it had to be big enough, since Casey and Derek pretty much assumed that Jeff would not be their last child. They were both young, they loved each other, and they both wanted to have children. It made more sense to just purchase a large enough home to do them when they had another child, rather than have to pack up and move again when they needed the extra space. They had also agreed that it had to be in London. Casey and Derek wanted to be able to raise their children in a quieter location; somewhere that they knew backwards and forwards, and where their parents could watch their grandkids grow up.

And out of the dozens and dozens of houses they had seen, this had been the only one that they'd all agreed on. It had just felt like home, the moment they had stepped in through the front door.

Taking a deep breath, he dug his keys out of his pocket, making his way towards the front door. His bag was clutched tightly in his hand, and he had to admit that he was slightly nervous about this. He hadn't been home in nearly a month, and he had no idea how his family would treat him. He had Kelly's devotion, he knew. But what about Casey and Jayden? Would they completely hate him now? Somehow, he doubted it. He chose to believe that his family loved him more than that.

Unlocking the front door, he pushed it open. He was prepared for whatever was going to happen. It wasn't like there was any going back, now.

The sounds of home instantly hit his ears. He could hear the faint strains of Jayden's electric guitar floating down the stairs, and he smirked slightly; the kid had learned a new song, since he'd left. He'd only been playing for a few years now, but he was a natural. He could hear Kelly's little footsteps running around, and her calling out to her mother that she wasn't tired, and that she did not want to go to bed just yet.

He opened the door leading from the porch to the living room, just as Casey darted by, chasing after her daughter with outstretched arms. Derek's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing hitched in his throat as he saw her, for the first time in three weeks. He hadn't even realized how much he had missed her until now. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms strongly around her waist, and bring his lips to hers. He wanted to kiss her until he could feel something between them, again.

But right now, he felt like their relationship was completely demolished. And he wasn't sure how much work it would take to repair it, or if she'd even be up for the challenge.

"Kelly, come on baby, I told you that it's time to get ready for-"

Casey came to a stop, hunched over as she stopped herself from running into the person she had stopped in front of. Kelly looked up first, beaming, and Casey's gaze followed, as her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped a little. She straightened up slowly, her eyes never leaving his, and it was obvious how surprised she was to see him. He couldn't take his eyes away from her; she was just so beautiful, and he had been so deprived of her for a few weeks now. It was the longest that they had spent apart in years.

"Derek," she breathed out, but before she could do anything, Kelly's excitement had gotten the better of her, and the little girl let out a blissful squeal.

"Daddy!"

Derek's eyes tore away from Casey's, and lit up with joy as the toddler on the ground lifted up her arms to be picked up. Derek grinned, and leaned down, scooping her up into his arms. He buried his face into her hair, closing his eyes tightly with a newfound appreciation for his daughter.

"Hey, monster," he whispered against her brown strands of hair, his arms holding onto her in a fatherly protection. "I missed you so, so much."

"Miss you too," she mumbled, her smile never fading as she lay her head down against her father's shoulder, her thumb in her mouth, and a tiny hand placed delicately on his back. Her eyes were still falling shut with fatigue, but there was a joyful twinkle in each of the toddler's eyes now, as she recognized that her father, her playmate, and friend, was back. And it was quite obvious by the way that he held onto her, and stroked her hair gently, that he had no intentions of leaving his little girl again anytime soon.

Jayden, who had been coming down over the stairs at the time, finished with his guitar, and dressed in blue and grey plaid pajama pants, and a grey t-shirt, was gaping at Derek, as though he couldn't believe that his role model was actually back. And as he stood there, watching his father hug his baby sister, he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders, or something. He didn't have to hold all of the responsibility for the family, anymore. Yes, he loved them all, and sure, it felt cool to be the one in control, for a change. But he had missed his father, and a family definitely wasn't something that he wanted full reign of just yet. The novelty wore off very quickly, and he was feeling exhausted.

Derek looked up, spotting Jayden on the stairs, and he didn't even have to speak. He gave a little jerk of the head, and as grown up as Jayden sometimes appeared to be, nothing could stop him from taking those few steps, and falling right into the hug that his father was offering him. Derek's free arm wrapped around Jayden's back, as Jayen closed his eyes, relieved. Things were going to get better from here; they just had to.

Casey, who had been standing awkwardly off to the side throughout the duration of this whole conversation, shuffled her feet uncomfortably, blushing a little. It was obvious that she was feeling very left out right now, and that she was unsure of whether or not it would be appropriate to even consider joining in this little family meeting. After all, the family wouldn't have been in ruins, if it wasn't for her.

"Derek," she tried again, sounding nervous, and before she could utter another word, he shook his head, glaring at her.

"Let me get one thing straight, Casey," he said, his tone full of bitterness, and anger. "I came back for the kids, _not_ for you."

Her eyes flickered with hurt, and he saw her blush as she drew back a little, clearly offended by his words. But she must have realized that he was being fairly civil towards her, considering all that they'd been through. She should just be grateful that he was even talking to her. Hell, she should be grateful that he'd come back in the first place. She tried to be thankful for what she had, but it was hard when she saw her whole family, minus Jeff, together, shunning her to the side.

Derek couldn't stand the pain in her eyes, despite how much she had put him through. A part of him was so relieved that he had been struggling to breathe since he saw her. The only thoughts that were going through his mind the whole way back to London had been about what he would do if the death announcement really was for Casey. How could he live for the rest of his life, knowing that he had argued with her, the last time he had seen her. He was still incredibly mad at her, and he still didn't forgive her in the slightest for what he had done. He wasn't even saying that he was calling off the divorce.

All he knew was that he didn't want to act like a complete asshole to her. He still loved her, and he didn't want to hurt her anymore than she was already hurting, especially in front of their kids. He didn't want to come across as a monster in front of his little girl, even if he knew Jayden already privately sided with his father on this particular issue.

He sighed, his eyes closing briefly as his internal struggle came to a close.

"I may have come back for the kids, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss you," he said, giving a little nod of the head as hope flickered through her eyes. "Come here."

She didn't need to be asked twice. Without another word, she took the few remaining steps towards her husband, and Derek placed Kelly down on the stairs gently, as Jayden willingly slid away from his father, allowing Derek to pull Casey into his arms. The hug awkward and unfamiliar, yet caring and passionate all at once. She held onto him tightly around the neck, nearly choking him, but he didn't seem to mind as his own grip was practically bruising against her waist. There was a silence filling the room that neither of them seemed to notice, and it was interrupted only when Jayden cleared his throat, and returned to the couch, unmuting the television so that he could continue watching it. It was obvious that he could reunite with his Dad more, a little bit later. Right now, it was Casey and Derek who really needed to do some reuniting.

Derek kept on holding Casey, not wanting to let her go. He wasn't going to pull back and look at her, but he knew by the shaking of her tiny body, and the feeling of wet spots on the shoulder of his long sleeve shirt that she was crying. He knew that it was out of regret, out of remorse, but yet out of relief at the same time. Every tear she cried could represent a different emotion right now, he was sure of it. A minute or two must have passed, and even Kelly had wandered off, at this point. Neither of them noticed, or cared, that their reunion was lasting a little bit longer than intended. All they seemed to notice was who it was they were holding. It was like they could only spare thoughts for one another, and the world around them did not exsist. Because as long as they stayed like this, they weren't fighting, and nobody else was hurting them, or threatening their relationship. As long as they stayed like this, they were perfect.

It was Casey who finally broke the silence as she sniffed, her fingers grazing the back of his neck gently as she prayed to God that this wasn't some sick joke, that Derek was really back, and she wouldn't wake up in five minutes to an empty spot next to her on the bed. She prayed that this was real.

"Please don't leave again," she whispered, her lips grazing against his ear gently as she said the words. "Stay here... promise me you'll stay here."

His grip tightened desperately, and his eyes wandered to Jayden, who quickly looked away as though he hadn't been eavesdropping in the slightest.

"I'm not going anywhere," he murmered, shaking his head as his hand ran up and down her back comfortingly. "Relax, I'm here."

"For how long?" she asked, fear playing in every notch of her voice as she voiced her concerns. "How long is it gonna be until you divorce me, and you're all gone? How long until you take everything from me?"

His heart clenched at the sound of her painful words, and he shook his head, unsure of how he could answer that. He wished he could say that he was staying, but he couldn't promise her something like that. He had no idea if he would be going through with the divorce, or not.

Before he could answer, there was a whiny cry from beneath them, and it was obvious that Kelly was back. Derek pulled away from Casey, and he could've sworn that the most amazing feeling had just been taken from him. When he had been holding Casey, he had felt more in control, and necessary, than he had in three weeks now. He felt like his entire life had just been in his arms, and his body tensed slightly at the fear of living without that amazing feeling. Because he knew that it was definitely Casey that brought him that joy.

"Come on, baby," Casey said, wiping her tears on the sleeve of the hoodie she was wearing- which just happened to be Derek's. She tried her best to look composed as she forced a smile, extending her arms to the little girl.

"Time for bed!"

She went to pick up her daughter, but Kelly glared at her, and shook her head, backing away.

"Daddy!" she said persistantly, pointing a finger at her father as though demanding he come along. "Daddy come too!"

Casey's eyes flickered to Derek's, and she bit her lip, a little confused by Kelly's demand.

"You mean you... you want us both to put you to bed?"

She nodded, somewhat satisfied, but one look at the obviously overwhelmed Casey told Derek that she was not going to be of any use to Kelly, and that she needed a few minutes to calm herself down.

"I'll put her to bed," Derek said, giving her a tiny little nod, the previous familiarity of a few moments before completely evaporating into pure awkwardness. "Go take your medication."

She looked a little bit surprised that he had even remembered her routine so easily, and she smiled a little, raising an eyebrow.

"How'd you remember that I-"

He shook his head as he placed Kelly against his chest. She surprisingly didn't fight Casey on her decision to stay behind. Maybe she was just too tired, or maybe she had just wanted her Daddy to put her to bed, for the first time in almost a month. Casey wasn't offended or anything; she had seen how badly the little girl had missed her father, since he'd left.

"I've been gone three weeks, Casey... not a year," he said, raising an eyebrow as she looked away, mumbling something under her breath. He frowned. "What was that?"

"Nothing," she lied, and when he looked disbelieving, she rolled her eyes, and gave in. "Fine. I said that it sure feels like you've been gone that long."

He paused, trying to think of something to say. He blinked at her a couple of times, as Kelly dozed off against his shoulder, her tiny thumb stuck into her mouth again. Derek ran his hand down through her hair as his eyes remained locked with Casey's, in a pool of uncertainty. Finally, he looked away, kissing the top of Kelly's head.

"C'mon, Princess," he said, sighing. "I'll put you to bed. Let's go get your pajamas on."

Kelly mumbled something against her father's shoulder, but the words got lost before they had a chance to meet his ears, and he shrugged, figuring it didn't matter much. He gave Casey the tiniest nod of the head, his eyes serious, and telling a message. They weren't finished here, tonight. They both knew full well that they had alot of talking to do, and that nothing was going to be solved easily here tonight. It was almost a promise that there would be tears, harsh words, and lots of yelling going on in their house over the course of the next few hours, even days. But they knew that this was a necessary aspect to get their relationship on the right track again. Even if Derek did go through with the divorce, he didn't want things to be bad between them. She'd always be special to him, and he wanted his kids to be able to grow up without the constant fighting between their parents. He had been a child of divorce, as had Casey, and they both knew that dealing with parents who hated each other was awful. Of course, both of their parent's divorces had been fairly civil, and it had smoothed over after, to a point where their parents could get along, but he had a feeling that if him and Casey didn't sort this out now, they never would.

"I'll be back," he said, turning towards the stairs. He looked over at his oldest son, nodding at him. "And you,"

Jayden looked up, raising an eyebrow. Derek's gaze was serious, and he gave him a tiny nod.

"You'd better get to bed too."

They both fully expected Jayden to argue. He usually didn't go to bed until late. He didn't really have a set bedtime, but it was clear to him that he was expected to go to bed at a decent hour.

But to both of his parent's surprise, he nodded, and stood up, yawning.

"Sounds good right about now," he said, and without another word on the matter, he headed towards the stairs, brushing right past Derek, who looked fairly surprised at this reaction. He called out goodnights to his family, and Casey and Derek replied casually with their own goodnights.

Fifteen minutes later, Derek had finished putting Kelly to bed. He came down over the stairs, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair lazily. He made his way into the kitchen, not knowing what to expect.

When he spotted Casey, she was leaning back against the counter, one hand resting behind her against the surface, and the other clutching a glass of water. She was staring off into space, clearly lost in thought. He didn't have to ask what she was thinking about, because he knew. She was thinking about what was about to happen, and what they had to discuss. And he knew she was completely stressed out over the very prospect of it.

"Hey," he said softly, closing the sliding door, and placing his hands in his pockets. He walked towards her slowly, biting down on his lower lip. He was nervous, and he didn't even know why. He was not the one at fault; he should not be the one nervous here. She should be. Technically, he held all of the power. He held the decision of whether or not they were going to stay together or not. So then he didn't understand why he was getting so worked up over this.

She looked up, and he was confused when a tiny smile graced her lips, and she laughed gently, nodding towards his neck.

"Nice necklace," she noted, motioning towards the multi-coloured bead necklace that was now hanging around his neck. It was about three sizes too big for him, and Casey had spent a good hour and a half helping Kelly make it. It normally would've taken anyone else about five minutes. But Kelly was precise, and wonderfully artistic, and she was very specific about which colour went where. She had a rule, that no colour could be repeated within a five-bead line. That was hard, once she started running low on beads. She had to be watched very carefully with the items, since she could so easily choke. But since Casey was so overly-paranoid about these sots of things, she didn't have to worry about her daughter choking. She was under _very _careful surveillance.

Derek looked down, one hand lifting the end of the necklace as he blushed, and grimaced. He looked back up at her, lifting the piece of homemade jewellery over his head, and placing it down on the counter behind Casey.

"Very funny," he noted, shaking his head. "Kelly wanted me to wear it."

"You're so whipped," she said, and they both laughed awkwardly, unsure of whether or not anything else could be said, at such a time. There was immediate silence, and Derek immediately wished that he could remember one of the many points that he had wanted to make to her. He'd done nothing but think of what needed to be said, over the past three weeks, but all of it was completely erased from his mind now, and he was relying purely on instinct to talk to her.

And that never led him anywhere good.

"Can I explain?" she asked, pulling herself up onto the counter, her hands bracing her on either side.

He nodded, taking a step towards her eagerly. He was just grateful that she was willing to start up this conversation, so that he wouldn't have to.

"Please," he said, her knees bumping lightly against his lower chest as he came to a stop. Blushing, he backed up slightly, uncomfortable with the touching. She seemed to notice, but she chose not to mention it as she took a deep breath, and started talking.

"I never intended to cheat on you," she admitted, and for some weird reason, he believed her. "Up to the point that you found out he was back, we were still just friends. I mean... I knew he liked me. That much was obvious. But I kept promising myself not to let his silly little crush get to me. I told myself that I had everything I could ever need in you."

"I guess you were wrong," he said, shrugging. He tried to act like he wasn't hurt, but he was, and he knew that she knew it.

Casey shook her head, frowning.

"Ryan is _not _a better man than you are," she told him, reaching out to smooth his hair away from his face, so that she could see his eyes more clearly. They were filled with a mixture of nervousness, heartbreak, and about three weeks worth of pain. She was almost glad when his hair fell back down again, stubborn as usual. At least she couldn't see the pain, anymore.

"You're all I want," she told him, nodding. "You can check my text mesages and the outgoing calls. Jayden's been deleting calls and stuff, and I guess he thinks I haven't noticed. I have, but I don't let on that I know, since he means well. But I swear-"

"Give me your cell," he said, holding his hand out, no emotion on his face, or in his voice. It was so obvious that she had expected just a tiny bit of trust from him, but now it was clear to her that she was going to have to rebuild the trust he once had in her right from the ground. He didn't even trust that she hadn't been calling or texting Ryan, over the past three weeks. But she understood that she didn't even deserve an ounce of trust from him, and she nodded her head, reaching into her pocket, and closing her fingers around the cellphone she found there.

She pressed the phone into Derek's hand, and he gave her a thankful look, flipping the phone open. He went into her incoming calls first, and saw that nearly every single one was from Ryan, with a scattered few from their parents, Jayden, or friends. He felt anger bubble up in him. Couldn't this guy learn to take a hint? If this was her calling list _after_ Jayden had deleted calls, he didn't want to see what it had been like, before. He quickly flipped to her outgoing calls, terrified that she had been lying. He felt relief float through him when he saw that, with the exception of five or six other numbers, all of her recent outgoing calls had been to his own cellphone, which had died a long time ago, since he had forgotten to bring his charger.

He breathed out a slow breath of relief, and quickly switched to her text messages, wanting to be sure that she hadn't been texting him, either.

He went to her inbox, and as he opened the first message, he was disgusted by what he saw. And as he flipped through the messages, it only got worse.

_'You're not returning my calls. Derek is out of the picture now. We can just be together.'_

_'Why are you ignoring this? We could be perfect, Casey. I heard Cole telling my sister you two might be divorcing. Is it true?'_

_'If you go through with the divorce, maybe me and you can be together for real?'_

_'I don't like being ignored, Case. Call or text me. I mean it. I want to give us a try. Don't you feel it too?" _

Derek looked up, his eyes nervous as he read that particular one.

"Do you?" he asked, and she frowned, not understanding. Rushing to hear her answer, he waved a hand impatiently. "Feel it? Whatever he's talking about; do you feel it?"

She didn't even have to think about it.

"Yes," she said, and he could've sworn that his heart broke in two at that very second. But she reached out, her hand stroking his cheek gently as she smiled, and said; "-but only with you."

He relaxed, and it was then that he realized how devestated he would be if she fell in love with another man. The feeling that had just swept over him was the most painful one he'd ever felt before. It was like his heart had been ripped from his chest, and stepped on. It was like the last bit of hope that he had been clinging onto, for them, had slipped through his fingers. It was like his whole life had just been turned upside down. And he had absolutely hated it. He was so relieved that she had been talking about him, and not about Ryan.

He glanced down at her outgoing texts, and he was completely reassured when he saw that there was only one text from Ryan, that simply read;

_'I don't feel anything for you except for friendship. And unless you want that to change too, I suggest you stop pushing this. We're not going to be together.'_

It read over onto another text message, which continued with;

_'We've hurt Derek, and my family, enough as it is. I'm not willing to do that anymore.' _

"Believe me yet?" she asked, raising an eyebrow rather smugly. He flipped the phone shut, handing it back to her coldly.

"Yeah, so you didn't call or text him," he said, shrugging as though this changed nothing, which was true. "That doesn't make up for what you did with him."

The smug little smile on her face disappeared, and she bowed her head shamefully, nodding.

"I know that," she said, sighing. "Nothing can ever make up for that. I cheated on you, more than once, and I am so, so sorry for that."

"I would hope so," he muttered, snorting as he looked away. She paused, but chose to continue on as though she hadn't heard him.

"I've been... really vulnerable lately... you know that," she said, drawing in a deep breath. His eyes were on the floor, and he seemed to be unable to look at her, at the moment. Ignoring it, she rushed on. "When Ryan started flirting with me and stuff, it was at a time when me and you were doing alot of fighting. Jeff was in hospital, Jayden was ignoring me for the most part, because he was mad at me for hanging around with Ryan, I guess, and well... I just felt so distant from everyone. I just felt like you guys were all a family, and I wasn't as necessary to it anymore."

"You were," he said, not looking up as he shrugged his shoulders. "Me and you created this family, Case. We're both responsible for looking after our kids, and each other. You should know that by now."

"I do know it, now," she said, sighing. "I wish I had known that when I cheated on you."

He fell silent again, and she racked her mind, searching and scraping at every corner for anything that she could say to make this all better. She needed to say anything and everything to get him to take her back, at this point in the game.

"I always felt bad," she told him, watching him carefully for any sign of a reaction. "Everytime I did something with him, all I could think about was how disloyal I was being to you, how wrong it was, and how you'd hate me, if you knew."

She paused, biting her lip nervously as another thought occured to her. Looking at him with extreme hesitance, she frowned.

"Do you?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly on every note. "-hate me, that is?"

He didn't answer her, and she felt fear flicker through her. Her body was shaking with anxiety, and she was terrified that he was going to say yes. She was absolutely panic-stricken, and she knew that she had created all of this for herself. This mess was a result of a whole summer's worth of mistakes with Ryan, and if she were Derek, she would be reacting the exact same way. In fact, if she were Derek, she probably wouldn't even be here, listening to her explain things, right about now. But she knew that Derek cared about fixing things.

Or at least, she hoped he did.

"Derek," she tried again, and when she still received no answer, she reached out, gripping his wrist tightly, and hauling him closer. His eyes shot up to meet hers, and she knew now why he wouldn't look at her, all along. There were pain-stricken tears in his eyes, ones that he was desperately trying to keep from falling. He despised crying, and she knew that. He had gotten used to expressing his emotions through words, over the years.

But he still hated crying.

"Oh... Derek," she said, feeling shame rush through her. She had caused this. She knew now why he felt so bad everytime he made her cry, because it felt absolutely horrible, to look at the one you loved in pain, and know that you'd caused their tears, and discomfort. To know that this was your fault.

"Come here," she said, extending her arms to him. She wanted to comfort him, to hug him, like he did when she was upset. But the second her hand brushed his shoulder, he glared at her, and pulled away, looking incredibly angry, and shocked, as though her touch had burned him.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, and when she looked upset, he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he attempted to get it out in a more friendly manner. "Sorry, but I don't want to be comforted by the person who caused all this."

She gave a quiet laugh, one that indicated that absolutely nothing was funny; she was just amused.

"I can only apologize so many times," she said, shaking her head. "There's not much more I can do other than tell you I don't feel anything for him, I don't like him, I'm sorry for what I did, and it will never happen again. If there's anything I'm not doing here, tell me, and I'll do it. I'll do anything, at this point. But I can't keep apologizing. It's not getting me anywhere."

He bit down on his lip, knowing full well that she was right, and that he wasn't exactly giving her much of a break. But why should he? She had done absolutely nothing to deserve his trust back.

"I don't know what to tell you," he admitted, breathing out as he managed to regain his normal self, blinking back any sign of tears. "I can't make up my mind this quick. I'm going to come back for awhile, and maybe we can..."

He trailed off, biting his lip as though he didn't want to say what was on his mind. He shook his head, a growl escaping from somewhere in the back of his throat as he threaded his fingers through his hair out of frustration. He turned away, his hands practically yanking his hair from his head as he shut his eyes tight, and struggled to think of what to say.

"_Dammit_, Casey!" he cried, back on to her. "Why couldn't you have just stayed faithful to me? I've been nothing but loyal since we got back together, and I would've thought you could show me the same sort of respect for me. At least when I cheated on you it was just once, and I was drunk. I'm not saying that's a good excuse or anything, but it's better than what you did."

"I know."

"And for you to lie to me about it all this time, and keep on claiming that you guys were just friends..."

"I know."

"I just don't know how I feel about you anymore."

"I kn- wait, what?" she said, the colour draining from her cheeks rapidly as she recognized what he had just said. Her heart was beating madly as she hopped off of the surface of the cupboard, and grabbed his shoulder, whirling him around to face her. He opened his mouth to tell her once again not to touch him, but she held a finger up to silence him.

"Don't tell me not to touch you," she said, her voice stronger than it had been all along. "I want you to tell me what that meant."

He blushed, shrugging his shoulders. Her hand fell away from his shoulder, dropping down to her side again. She waited anxiously for him to answer her, and finally, after much thought on the matter, he did.

"It doesn't mean anything, I guess," he offered, sounding completely confused. "I just... I don't..."

"-love me?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow as her tone rose with anger. "Is that what you're trying to tell me here? That you don't love me like you did before?"

Derek shook his head, frowning.

"Don't be stupid," he said quietly, for that wasn't the truth. "Of course I love you."

"Then why would you say that?" she asked, pouting sadly as both of her eyes flickered back and forth between each of his, full of fear. "You just said you don't know how you feel about me."

Derek placed one hand on either cheek, clutching her face gently in his hands. Her eyes were broken as they looked up into, nervous and scared. He could tell how much the very thought of not being loved by him had shaken her. She looked completely freaked out, right now.

"Don't worry," he instructed her, shaking his head with the hint of a smile tracing across his lips gently. "Everything will work out for the best; I know it will."

Without another word, he touched his lips to her forehead in a well-intentioned and friendly kiss, and he closed his eyes briefly, before pulling away, and sliding his hands down from her cheeks, to her hips, to her wrists, and to her hands. His fingers laced with hers softly, and he raised their entwined hands to his lips, kissing each of her hands in turn.

"I do love you, Casey," he said, needing her to understand that. He knew that he hadn't been totally clear, before. "I want you to remember that. You're my girl, and I do love you, just as much as I always did. I'm just really not in the right place to be trusting you, right now. That wasn't what I meant when I said that. I just meant that I don't know how I feel about us getting back together, or anything."

Any relief that had been restored in her eyes a moment before was diminished slightly as she frowned, her eyes darting away quickly.

"Oh," she whispered, her voice harsh. "Okay..."

He sensed how worried she was, and he squeezed her hands gently with his, trying to reassure her a little bit. His mind was swimming with about a million thoughts, none of which he could piece together properly. He knew he had to give this a shot, he had to at least make an attempt to forgive her for what she had done. This wasn't the sort of relationship that you could just give up on, even if cheating was something that he could never fully forgive. He knew that he'd never forget this, but maybe he could move on. Maybe it was possible for their relationship to be repaired.

He sighed, looking her in the eye again.

"Casey, I think that I... well... I... think it's best if we..."

"If we what?" she asked, sounding half hopeful, half scared. "What is it, Derek?"

He took a deep breath, and the second he saw the look in her eyes- the fear of being left by the only man she really loved- he knew that she wasn't lying when she said that she loved him. And he knew that this was the right choice.

"I am going to try and forgive you," he said bravely, breathing in deeply. Her eyes brightened, and he rushed on, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "Don't like... consider us back together right now, or anything, because we're not."

Her face fell slightly, and he went on, knowing that he was pushing her through a roller coaster of emotions right about now. He didn't feel too bad; she'd put him through worse, lately.

"Maybe once I forgive you or whatever, we can try this... again..." he said, and he couldn't read the emotion on her face. He managed to force a half smile, tilting his head to look her in the eye.

"How does that sound?" he questioned, curious.

She managed to force out a smile, though it was full of sadness, and she shrugged her shoulders, not letting go of his hands. He had noticed how tight her grip was, as though she was scared that, if she let go, she wouldn't get to hold his hands again for another while.

"It's... it's... well, it sucks, but I can't blame you," she said, sighing. "It's better than nohing, and... well... yes."

He leaned in, and she half hoped that he was going to brush her lips to his, but of course, he didn't. He merely let go of her hands, and hugged her quickly, his hands rubbing her back comfortingly.

"We're going to be okay," he said, nodding. "Just... give me time, okay?"

She nodded, pulling back and reluctantly letting go of her husband.

"Sounds okay to me," she replied, and as her hand came to rest on her stomach, his eyes widened slightly, and he frowned. He shuffled closer to her again, and placed one hand over her stomach, staring downwards at where, eventually, there would be a bump forming, exposing her pregnancy. She noticed his obvious change of heart, and frowned, tilting her head to look at him.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyebrows bunched together slightly.

He swallowed hard, looking her in the eye.

"The... the baby..." he said slowly, shaking his head. "Is it... is it mine?"

She immediately nodded, knowing how worried he was, but she hated that the look on his face did not change. He still looked frightened, and worried about the issue of paternity. She was sure that it must have occured to him over the past few weeks, while he was gone. But it was clear that it was only hitting him right now.

"Of course it's yours," she said, continuing to nod, praying that his doubt would disappear. "Why wouldn't it be?"

He moved his hand away from her stomach, backing up to look at her through wide eyes. He laughed coldly, some of his previous bitterness returning to his tone. Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're kidding me, right?" he laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I hope you're kidding me. Were you completely spaced out over the past few months? Did Space-Case take your place, during this whole little affair thing?"

She stepped back, giving him a look of utmost confusion and surprise. She was shaking her head as she responded.

"Derek, I... I didn't sleep with him," she said, sounding shocked that he would think such a thing. "I hope you know that."

He gave a disbelieving snort, turning his head to the side as an amused smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. She frowned, not appreciating his response. Gripping his wrist, she pulled him closer, forcing him to look at her.

"Do you believe me?" she asked, taken aback by the fact that he was choosing not to accept her words as the truth. When he didn't answer, her jaw dropped, and she gaped at him, disbelieving.

"Derek, I'm telling the truth," she said, shaking her head desperately. "Why can't you believe that?"

He pulled his wrist out of her grip, and gave her a hurt look, as though he didn't believe a word of what she was telling him.

"I don't believe that, because I don't trust you. And before you ask, I don't trust you because you haven't given me a reason to trust you, yet."

She went to answer, but her cut her off by continuing.

"Tell you what," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "You take a DNA test, and I'll believe you."

Her jaw dropped, and she glared at him, placing one hand on her hip as though offended. A moment later, he figured that she really was offended by this, for she completely lost it at him.

"A DNA test, Derek?" she cried, shaking her head at him with disgust. "What the hell? I have to take a DNA test to prove that I didn't sleep with Ryan? How is that fair?"

Derek laughed coldly, shaking his head at her. He wasn't going to back down on this one.

"I'm not trying to be fair," he said truthfully. "I'm just trying to get my life back. And for my mind to be at ease again, I need to know that this baby is mine. And you know what? Right now, I trust a DNA test more than I trust your word. You lied to me all summer, but I'm not letting something as big as this go."

She groaned, tilting her head back.

"I'm going to look like some sort of whore, Derek," she whined, pressing her hands against her face. "Going in there to see if it's my husband's baby?"

In his mind, the matter was settled, so he merely shrugged his shoulders, placing his hands in his pockets again.

"That was your call, not mine," he said, backing up. "You want me back, you need my trust. And if you want my trust, then you get the DNA test. End of story. It's your choice."

He began to walk off, feeling proud of himself for not backing down, for fighting for what he wanted. He had a smug smirk on his face as Casey called after him and he stopped, glancing over his shoulder at her. She was frowning, and he could tell that she didn't like being outspoken like that. But nonetheless, she wanted her husband back, so she sighed, folding her arms across her chest, and nodding at him.

"Book an appointment," she said, nodding her head reluctantly. "I'll take the damn test, but I want you to know that I'm only doing it to prove you wrong."

He shrugged, knowing that he had won.

"Whatever," he offered, backing up towards the door again. "I'm going to bed. I'll be on the couch if you need me."

Without another word, he was gone, and she sighed, tightening her hands into fists. She was so frustrated, but she knew that Derek had to be about fifty times more frustrated than she was, right now. And she knew that the blame fell on one person, other than herself.

She glared at the cellphone that was now on the counter, rolling her eyes at it.

"Stupid Ryan."

* * *

**Revieewwww my friends, and I shall update! Hope you enjoyed. **


	26. Grounded

**Enjoy! Oh, and a heads up for violence in this chapter. There are also references to the episodes Prank Wars and Bully Brothers, in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Grounded**

Jayden was having one of those days; the kind where absolutely nothing went right, and whatever you tried to do came out completely opposite from what you had expected. He had gotten to school to discover that he had left his lunch, not to mention his homework, at home on his desk. He had been so preoccupied with the idea of his father being home, that he hadn't been able to concentrate on taking what he needed. He'd luckily been able to get ahold of Derek right before his first period class, and Derek had said that he was heading over to Cole's with Casey at around ten fifteen, and that he could drop off some money to him on the way there. Jayden could only hope that Ryan was not going to be there, but from what he knew, Ryan had gone back home for a few days, to try and get ahold of another real estate agent. From what Jayden knew, he was still trying to get a house somewhere in London, and he had a good feeling that it had to do with wanting Casey to himself. But he had enough trust in Casey's recent misery to know that she would never go back to Ryan. He had a feeling that her loyalty was back, and it was here to stay, now.

He met up with Derek in the front porch of the school during their fifteen minute break. Most kids would be embarassed by their parents coming to school, but Jayden never was. He had no reason to be ashamed of the fact that his father was a Thompson High legend. He had led this school to three years of victory, in hockey, not to mention had been prom king during their senior year. To date, he held the record for the pie-eating competition that they'd had in the cafeteria, and his reputation with women was something that all teenage boys aspired to mirror in their own adolesence. So when Derek came into the porch, black leather jacket and jeans clothing him, he felt right at home. He definitely hadn't changed his style much since high school.

"How'd you manage to forget your money?" Derek asked, as he folded his arms, shaking his head at Jayden. "I mean, there's three aspects to life, right? Babes, food, and sports- not necessarily in that order. Remembering money for food should be natural."

"I was distracted, thanks," Jayden said, raising an eyebrow. "It's been a busy few weeks, if you hadn't noticed, and last night was just sort of a surprise to all of us."

"That was last night," Derek pointed out, amused. "This is today. Do I need to go through the concept of time with you?"

Jayden stood his ground, folding his own arms across his chest, clearly not amused.

"For once, I'm being serious," he said, shaking his head at Derek. "I want to know what's going on with you guys. Are you staying, now? 'Cause when I woke up and saw you still asleep on the couch, it didn't look too promising to me. So I'm guessing it didn't go as planned?"

Derek shook his head, surprisingly pleasant about this whole thing.

"Actually, Case and I had a pretty good talk," he told him, shrugging one shoulder upwards. "We figured out where we stand and everything, and it just... it feels great to be back with you guys."

Jayden shifted uncomfortably, something that Derek said lingering on his mind awkwardly. He bit his lip, looking up nervously.

"So where _do _you stand?" he asked, hardly daring to sound hopeful. "Are you back together, or are you still leaving... what?"

Derek was quiet for a moment, but Jayden stood his ground, firm and determined.

"Tell me, D," he said, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm sixteen years old... God, I'm almost the same age my Dad was when him and Mom had me, give or take a year or two. I think I'm mature enough to handle what's going on between you guys."

Derek knew he was right, and he knew that he would be a jerk if he didn't give Jayden the information he so desperately wanted. Derek hated admitting it, but Jayden really was growing up, and he had handled alot in his young life. This was no different.

"We're not technically back together yet, alright?" he asked, glancing around, relieved that the porch was still empty, aside from them. "I'm not ready to get back with her. I'm still staying at the house and everything; I don't want to hurt you and Kel, with this. You guys deserve to have your Dad around, so you will."

"We also deserve to have parents who get along," Jayden said, and it shocked Derek how mature he was about this. He shook his head, his eyes saddened. "I don't want you guys to like... hate each other."

Derek shook his head, laughing softly.

"We'd never hate each other," he said, confident in this, at least. "And technically, we are getting along. We're not fighting or anything, anymore. I just don't trust her, that's all. We still love each other and everything."

Jayden bowed his head, still not entirely convinced. There were students bustling around inside the school, not a care in the world, and despite how much things were turning around for him, he still felt completely alone. He felt like he was holding way too much on his shoulders, right about now. He was too young to be facing so many problems.

Derek sensed that Jayden did not believe him, and he placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping gently.

"I mean it; we're fine," he said, nodding his head as Jayden looked up, his eyes distracted. "I don't want you to be worrying about it anymore. You're gonna get stress wrinkles."

Jayden rolled his eyes, a tiny smile appearing on his lips.

"Dad," he said pointedly, shaking his head. "Not funny."

"It was," Derek argued, and as they laughed, he caught sight of Cameron, standing against a wall about ten feet away from the porch. All of his friends were standing around, and he had Kayla pulled against his hip, as usual. Derek had taken off before this whole freeze-attack started, and had no idea that his son had no friends left. He had spoken to Jayden, on the plane, about what had happened at the airport, but he just figured that it had been smoothed over, and he looked down at Jayden, sighing.

"Looks like your friends are waiting for you," he said, and when he nodded towards the group of five or six kids that were standing a short distance away from the porch, Jayden turned away, his face going red. Derek instantly felt Jayden tense beneath his hold, and his fatherly instincts kicked in. He frowned, using his grip to turn Jayden back towards him.

"Hold up, bud," he said, struggling to catch Jayden's gaze, which was hard when he kept looking the other way. "Why are you acting like this? Is it 'cause I'm here, or something? Because you really don't gotta worry about people finding me uncool in this school. I _owned_ this place, when I went here. Have you noticed that every girl that's walked by the door has been giggling and staring at my chest? Yeah, I've still got it."

Jayden rolled his eyes at his father's obvious over-inflated ego, and he shook his head, his eyebrows knitted together in a state that clearly meant he was not amused.

"The only thing you've got is a big head," he pointed out, causing Derek to scowl at him. "And it's not that I don't think you're cool. It's just that..."

He trailed off, and his eyes flickered to Cameron, who was glaring at him with an obvious smug look. Derek caught sight of what was going on, and he saw the way that all the other guys were looking at him. Their looks weren't ones of hatred, but they were looks of knowing who they had to stand behind, and who they had to listen to. Kayla was staring at her feet, entwining her fingers together over and over to avoid the situation. It was like she knew what she had caused, and she was ashamed of it.

Derek turned back to Jayden, watching as his son paled considerably at the boy's menacing looks. He knew that Jayden was slightly nervous over this. He had a strong swing, but to take on about five guys at once... he wasn't _that _good.

"What's going on here, Jay?" Derek asked, his hand still on Jayden's shoulder as he frowned, concern in his eyes. "Are they bugging you?"

"No, Dad."

"You can tell me if they are," Derek said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to go off and tell the school like your Mom would. I was a teenager once, I know that's not what you want, even if it could be what's best. But I saw what you went through at your old school, and-"

"I'd rather not talk about my old school, and I'd rather not talk about this." Jayden said, his eyes angry as he looked up at Derek, who was slightly taken aback. Derek shook his head, feeling slightly offended by Jayden's reaction. But he knew what it felt like to be annoyed by a parent, and he knew that Jayden really didn't want him involved in this.

He held up his hands, as an act of showing Jayden that he was going to back off; he wasn't going to keep pushing the matter further.

"Hey," he said, shrugging. "I'm just trying to help. Edwin got bullied before, and I... um... _sort of_ helped him..."

"He told me you ended up getting bullied yourself, and that he got out of it with a black eye," Jayden noted, raising an eyebrow as Derek frowned, wanting to retell the story in his own words. He'd rather leave out the part where he had almost gotten his ass kicked. He almost thought that he was going to get away with it, but Jayden rushed on, a tiny smile, on his lips.

'He also told me that Mom had to come save your sorry butt at the last second, 'cause you were stupid enough to try and take on someone the size of a fridge."

Derek blushed, scowling. He was definitely going to have to do up a list for Casey, of stories that she was absolutely forbidden to repeat to anyone, especially their kids. He needed to have a sense of dignity, didn't he?

"Point is, I just want to help you out," he said, shaking his head. "But if you don't want me to help..."

"I don't," he said quickly, and when Derek looked slightly hurt, he relaxed, and added; "-but thanks anyway."

Derek removed his hand from Jayden's shoulder, nodding his head very reluctantly.

"Okay then," he said, backing up. "I'll just leave you to it, then. But, uh... just keep that thing your mother always tells you in your head... what is it, again?"

Jayden raised an eyebrow, shrugging.

"Violence is never the answer?" he suggested, and Derek snapped his fingers, nodding at his son.

"Yeah, some crazy nonsense like that," he said, as the bell rang above their heads somewhere, signalling the end of their break, and students began to trickle off into their third period classrooms. He reached into his jeans pocket, biting his lip as he closed his fingers around the brown wallet that he had placed in there this morning. Taking it out, he handed Jay a twenty, knowing that he'd probably come to him later asking for money for something else. He may as well just give him the money now.

"There you go; get something to eat," he said, as Jayden pocketed the money, grinning slightly. Derek frowned as he put his wallet back in his pocket.

"You know, you're totally getting a job soon," he said, shaking his head as he realized how much money the kid borrowed off of him weekly. "You're old enough by now, and I'm sure your mother would just go nuts helping you do up a resume. She loves that sort of stuff."

"I'll bet she does," Jayden murmered, rolling his eyes.

They were interrupted by the sound of a door swinging open, and a deep, older male's voice speaking up.

"Mr.Venturi?"

"Yes?" both of them said, turning to find that Mr.Lassiter, who was still in charge of Thompson High, was standing there, his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he scowled at the two men. He shook his head at Derek, looking slightly annoyed.

"Younger Mr.Venturi," he said, and when Derek merely blinked, he rolled his eyes. "Mr._Walker_-Venturi."

"I didn't do it," Jayden chided, no emotion in his voice whatsoever as he shook his head at the principal. "You've got no proof."

Mr.Lassiter frowned, clearly not expecting this.

"I wasn't going to accuse you of anything," he said, shaking his head at the boy.

Jayden grinned, folding his arms across his chest as though defying the man. Derek fought back laughter; he was proud of the way Jayden handled himself in front of school authority. He was one of the school's top academics, and sports leaders, but yet he was one of the biggest troublemakers. He was like Derek and Casey combined, another sign that their influence had rubbed off on him.

"So I'm not in trouble?" he questioned, looking hopeful.

Mr.Lassiter forced a disbelieving laugh down, trying to keep a straight face.

"I somehow doubt that, but for all purposes of this conversation; no. You are not in trouble. But you will be if you're late for class."

Jayden merely stared at him, his eyebrows furrowed together, and the principal rolled his eyes, clearly getting annoyed with the teenager.

"You see, there's a new trend this year," he pointed out, sighing. "When the bell rings, you go to class. It's all the rage; you should give it a try."

Sensing oppurtunity, Derek stuffed his hands into his pockets, and jumped right into the conversation.

"Really?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Because when I went here, the bell was just there for laughs; isn't that right, Mr.L?"

The principal raised his gaze to Derek's face, and he scowled, pointing a finger at the man.

"You," he said, his voice cold. "You're the one who... who... God, I don't even know where to start with you. I'd need a forklift to get your files out of my office. You've got your own filing cabinet in there, and it's too heavy to move by now."

Derek chuckled fondly, straightening up the collar of his jacket smugly.

"Yeah, well... I left my mark at this place," he said, proud of his accomplishments.

Mr.Lassiter continued to glare at him, clearly realizing that he had no authority over Derek, anymore.

"Yes, well... you're leaving your mark right now," he said, and he nodded towards the wet footprints that Derek had tracked into the porch, since it had been raining earlier that morning, leaving the grass wet. Derek looked down, blinking at his feet, before looking back up, not really caring.

"Now," Mr.Lassiter said, pointing a finger towards the door. "I suggest we break up this little meeting, which I'm sure would do nothing but cause me to hate my job even more, if I knew what you were plotting. And Mr.Venturi-"

Before either of them could speak, he raised a finger to silence them, rushing on.

"Mr.Venturi-of-the-devil," he noted, and Derek and Jayden looked at each other, shrugged, and looked back to Mr.Lassiter.

"Yeah?"

He let out a low growl of frustration, and shook his head, knotting one hand through his hair, which Derek had a feeling would be greying considerably due to the stress of this job, sometime soon.

"Just go!" he cried, and without another word, he turned, and made his way back into his school, muttering to himself about good-for-nothing father's, and their annoying sons. Derek and Jayden merely laughed, before saying goodbye to each other, and going their seperate ways. Derek returned to the parking lot, where Casey was waiting in the passenger's seat of the car, no doubt getting impatient, and Jayden swung open the door that led into the main hallway of the school. There was still a smile on his face, but it disappeared pretty quickly when he saw that Cameron was still leaned up against the wall.

It surprised Jayden that he was alone.

He was standing out of view of any of the classrooms, and Jayden knew that this couldn't be good, in any context. The hallways were completely empty, except for the two best friends-turned enemies.

Cameron was leaning against the right half of the wall, and Jayden prayed to God that he wasn't just waiting for him. Cam could be out here for any reason whatsoever, right?

But Jayden knew the truth. Cameron had just been looking for an oppurunity to get him alone lately, without Kayla, or anyone else around. They both seemed to know that Kayla wouldn't be able to stand there and watch her boyfriend hurt Jayden, as angry as she was, right now. And Jayden knew that this was why Cameron wanted her gone. It was a rare occurance when she wasn't with him, but this was one of those times. Cameron had Jayden completely by himself, without any help from anyone else. But Jayden wasn't too scared. He had taken on a sixteen year old at the age of twelve, and that guy hadn't been that much smaller than Cameron. He'd taken on a thirty-three year old man recently, hadn't he? Although he knew that Ryan could've taken him down, if Cole hadn't come along to help him.

But he wasn't going to run away, and he wasn't going to beg for forgiveness. He loved Kayla, and he wasn't ashamed of admitting that. He wasn't even sorry he had admitted it, because at least now, it was off his chest. He had no friends anymore, but he had been honest, and that was all that counted, right?

He tried to walk by Cameron as casually as possible, and he told himself that he would only stop if Cameron said something to him, indicating that he really had been waiting for him. He had almost made it past him, and he was feeling rather hopeful, when he heard his ex best-friend speak up, his voice mocking.

"Don't tell me you called your Daddy up here for backup," he snorted, looking amused as Jayden turned to face him, his mouth set in a straight line. "You're not that pathetic, are you?"

Jayden folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"I'm not pathetic, and we both know my father could take you down in a heartbeat," he smirked, and he detected fear flicker through Cameron's eyes. They both knew that was true. "But my Dad isn't really interested in jail-time, so I guess I'm going to have to stick up for myself, right?"

Cameron pushed himself away from the wall, towering a little bit over Jayden. His mouth was curled into a smirk, his eyes cold with cruelty.

"You're absolutely insane if you ever thought she'd go for someone like you," he said, snorting with disgust. "What have you got to offer?"

Jayden didn't even back up. His palms were sweaty, and inside his body, his mind and heart were racing at a furious pace. But all that Cameron could see was a guy that stood his ground, staring up at his attacker as bravely as possible.

"I've got lots to offer her," he said, shrugging. "And I can't really control my feelings. I mean, you fell for her, didn't you? You tell me what's not to love."

"Well of course I like her," he said, shrugging. "The girl's hot."

Jayden frowned, and his hands, which had been clenching into fists, relaxed slightly as he stared at Cameron, wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what Cameron had just said.

"That's all?" he questioned, shaking his head with confusion in his eyes. "She's hot? You like her? That's all you've got to say about your own girlfriend?"

Cameron looked off to the side, as though searching for some other type of adjective to throw in there. He looked thoughtful, before turning back to Jayden, shrugging as he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that's it," he offered, his expression careless. "Why? Was there something else I was supposed to say?"

Jayden was absolutely shocked by Cameron's words, and he nodded his head, taking a step forward, and pushing the guy lightly against the wall. He was shorter than Cameron, so it must have looked pretty funny, but he didn't care as he jabbed a finger at his enemy's chest, glaring at him.

"There's alot more you're supposed to say!" he cried, unable to believe that someone who had Kayla, was completely taking advantage of her. "You could've said a million things. You could've told me that she's beautiful, or that she's cute when she laughs, or when she pretends to be mad at you. You could've mentioned how adorable it is when she's tired, and she curls up against you to get warm! Personally, I love winter, for that pure and simple fact! You could've told me how sweet and kind and generous she is, or how she always puts others before herself. Or how about how compassionate she is?"

Cameron's eyes were wide with a mixture of surprise, anger, and jealousy, as Jayden continued to yell at him, his finger still pressed against Cameron's chest.

"How the hell can you not love her?"

Cameron's eyes widened even further, and he laughed, shaking his head.

"Love?" he choked out, as though the word was new to his lips. "Please, Jayden. I'm sixteen. Love doesn't even exsist at sixteen."

"You wanna bet?" he challenged, sounding defiant. "My parents fell in love when they were sixteen. And Casey and Derek, they did too. My parent's best friends fell in love before that, even. And look at me; I'm following the pattern. So I guess you're wrong; love does exsist, when you actually find the right person."

Cameron smirked, a wave of smugness washing over his features as he laughed.

"She's not the right person unless she feels the same way, Jayden," he reminded him, glaring at his ex best-friend. "And in case you haven't noticed, she doesn't feel the same at all. So I guess you're out of luck. You've been lucky all week though, 'cause she hates violence. But you know what? She's not here right now. I guess you really are having a rough month, huh?"

And without another word, Jayden felt a fist connect with the side of his face. He was taken off gaurd, and he felt Cameron's other fist smack him in the lip. It took him a moment to tell himself what was happening, and make himself react to the attack. But the moment he recognized that he couldn't just stand here, he was fighting back with just as much, if not more, force. This guy had Kayla, and he took advantage of that so much, sometimes. He just wanted her for her beauty, while Jayden wanted her for her. How the hell was life this unfair?

He felt himself being pushed back against the wall, his sweater rising up against his chest slightly as Cameron dug his knee against Jayden's stomach, rising up up a good foot or so off of the wall. He felt like he was being stabbed in the stomach, with the feeling of Cameron's knee there, but he forced himself not to let it show that he was hurting. It was alot harder to hit Cam when he was off the ground, but he took the fact that his feet were higher off the ground to an advantage, and kneed Cameron in the stomach, hard.

He felt himself crashing to the floor as Cameron let out a low growl of pain, and stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach. He hit the lockers on the other side of the hallway, and slid down to the floor. Jayden himself had just slipped down the wall, the surface burning his back, which was bare from his shirt being risen up so much. He saw Cameron hunched over in pain, gasping for breath, and for one brief moment, he worried that he had actually hurt him. But it went away quickly as Cameron struggled to his knees, his face screwed up tightly in pain as he hurled himself at Jayden again. His hand flew to Jayden's neck as he pinned him down, his back against the cold, hard floor.

Cameron's fist hit Jayden's nose hard, and Jayden felt blood trickling above his upper lip, somewhere. He didn't even think about the pain as he elbowed Cameron in the face as hard as he could. But Cameron was winning quickly, and he knew it. He racked his brain hard, trying to remember anything that he had learned to get out of a situation like this. Being small had always had it's advantages, and an older guy at his old school had taught him an interesting little trick, after seeing Jayden getting bullied on the school playground, one day.

Being pinned down like he was, he wriggled until his knee was positioned directly below Cameron's weakest point. Being a guy could be a curse sometimes, when someone knew where to hit. He closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to do this; but he wasn't going to lie there and let Cameron choke him. His neck was searing now with the pain of being gripped so tightly, and he was finding breathing to be harder and harder, right about now. He knew that if Cameron was using both hands, he wouldn't even be breathing right now. But Cameron's left hand was still making swings at Jayden's face, and he knew that this was what had to be done.

His eyes still shut, he summoned up all his strength, and kneed Cameron directly in the groin. Cameron let out a loud howl of pain, but Jayden paid him no attention. The second Cameron's fingers gave up their grip on his throat, he knew that he only had about a millisecond to act. In the one moment that Cameron had no hold on him, he rolled out from underneath him, as far away as possible. He didn't turn, but he heard Cameron fall facefirst, his face colliding painfully with the floor.

"Dammit!" he heard Cameron yell, pounding his fist against the floor angrily. Jayden could hear the slight change in his voice, and he knew that his nose must be injured, somehow. He could tell, however, judging by the throbbing in his own nose, that his own was injured as well.

Before either of them could utter another word, Mr.Lassiter came down the hallway, his face red as he stormed towards the two boys, who were both bruised and bleeding. He seemed to be at a loss for words as he grabbed the back of Jayden's sweater, and then the back of Cameron's, hauling them both to their feet. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were flashing dangerously.

"You two!" he said, glaring at the two boys, who were glaring at each other. "Office, now!"

Neither one of them protested as they allowed the principal to push them lightly towards the direction of the office.

They were in so much trouble.

- - - -

A week and a half suspension for fighting. A two thousand word essay on why violence was never the answer to any given problem. A week's worth of detentions, once their suspension was up. Jayden knew that they both deserved all of this. They had broken the rules, after all. It was a true sign that he was Casey's son that he had this way of thinking. Her influence had definitely paid off, over the years. He knew that they deserved everything that the principal had given them. Cameron's punishment was actually worse, because the cameras had picked up that he had initiated the argument, and that he had also taken the first swing. His suspension was two weeks long, his essay three thousand words, and his detentions were to be for eight days, as opposed to five.

Casey was furious. After the whole 'Oh my God, my poor baby- are you alright? You need some ice on that' stage, she basically moved onto pure anger. She had situated Jayden on the couch with icepacks and cold cloths, for his injuries. She had then seemed to come to terms with what had happened. She had been called down to the school to pick him up, since his suspension was starting, and Derek had stayed behind at Cole's. By the time she was getting ready to leave for Cole's again to get Derek, she had stormed into the living room, and flicked off the television. His remote had been replaced with books, and she had claimed that if he was going to be home, he was going to be studying. She had actually gone to the extent of taking the remote with her, in the car. He had laughed at this, because only Casey would do such a thing. He didn't even bother to get up and turn the TV on manually, which she must have forgotten about. He merely nodded his head when she said that they'd discuss this later, and she stormed off towards the door.

He sat there, his biology book open in front of him. He could hear mumbling coming from the porch, and he frowned slightly, wondering who she was talking to. He shrugged it off, figuring she must be calling Derek to tell him that she was on the way back.

So he was fairly surprised when the front door slammed shut, and a moment later, Kayla walked into the room.

His eyes widened, and he sat up a little bit straighter, swallowing hard.

"Kayla?" he got out, his voice shaky.

She crossed the room sitting down on the coffee table in front of him as she swung her bookbag to the floor, her eyes serious. Looking up at him again, she sighed.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**This chapter was supposed to be so much longer, but that just means I'm going to have to add another chapter, I guess, because it would've been too long. Yeah, so that whole thing where he rolled out from under Cameron, it's actually quite efficient. My family used to have a cabin in the country, and a neighbour up there- her grandfather taught us how to do that one when we were about eight. I don't suggest trying it- because you can break someone's nose, but it's pretty cool. Anyway, haha enough about violence. Review, and I'll update. Some Dasey in the next chapter, I promise. **


	27. New Girlfriend

**There will be more Dasey in the next chapter. Again, this one was supposed to have more in it, but it turned out as more of a Jayden chapter. Anyway, review, and the next chapter will be focused primarily on the Dasey.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: New Girlfriend**

Derek had always been someone who couldn't control himself. That was how he had gotten with Casey in the first place, wasn't it? He hadn't been able to hold back his quickly-developing feelings for her, in high school. And now, that pesky little trait that proved both blessing and curse, was showing itself again, but he couldn't decide if it was good or bad, this time. Once Casey had left Cole's house to go get Jayden from school, Derek had happened to go by the spare bedroom on the way to the bathroom. And the second he'd seen Ryan's stuff sitting around the room, his imagination had gone wild, tossing out millions of possibilites that made his stomach sick with worry. Had Casey been in that room, on that bed, with Ryan? If so, what had happened? He saw a bottle of Axe resting on the dresser, and he couldn't help but wonder if Casey liked that scent. He had never worn Axe. She said she liked the cologne he wore just fine. Maybe she liked the way Ryan smelled better. He shuddered to think of what may have happened in that room, this summer.

He had forced himself away from the room, and had returned quickly to the living room, to sit with Cole again. They were just chatting, waiting for Casey to get back. He tried to keep his mind focused on the conversation at hand, but he couldn't even remember what they were talking about, because the fact that Ryan had been staying here all summer was just killing him. And he had to wonder where the jerk was right now. Would he come back, while Derek was there? He knew that Ryan travelled back and forth between his house, and his sister's, while looking for a house in London. Derek was pretty sure that he was at his own house, right now, but he had no way of being certain.

"-and then Maddie cut her knee at the park. Kallie freaked, of course. I swear, her and Casey are so much alike when it comes to parenting; it's scary. Don't you-"

"Where's Ryan?" Derek cut in, unable to stop the words from leaving his mouth. "Is he staying here?"

Cole's mouth was still open, having been cut off mid-sentence, but he didn't look offended as he shook his head, frowning a little.

"No," he assured his friend, sounding curious. "He's gone back home for a few days. Why?"

"No reason," he said quickly, shaking his head as he averted his gaze to the ground. "Just... I don't want him around her. I really don't."

Ryan shook his head, sensing Derek's fears.

"Dude, don't worry about it," he said, sounding slightly more relaxed than Derek. "I've been talking to Casey alot lately... you know, while you were gone. She really needed someone then, and by what she's told me... she's never going to cheat on you again. She was a complete mess over everything she had done. You can't begin to understand how bad she feels. She wasn't even as upset that you left, though that was killing her too. It was that she had hurt you, and she knew it. I think that really tore her up. I mean, she spent a good four years of her life freezing you out over one tiny moment of misjudgement and disloyalty, and now, she's done the same, only worse."

"You can say that again," Derek muttered, his eyes on the floor as he struggled not to let his anger get the best of him. He was trying to get along with Casey now, not ruin everything again. He had to try and forgive her, and that meant moving on from what she had done, and accepting it as a mistake, and a part of their past. But that was a hell of alot harder than it sounded. Images of Casey and Ryan kept running through his mind, and he couldn't shake them. The thought of someone else touching her like he did, kissing her lips, holding her...

It sickened him.

"All I can tell you is that you'd better keep your brother in-law away from my girl, or you may not have one anymore," he said, his fingernails digging into his skin as he clenched his fists. "I hate the guy, and I've got no problem facing the consequences of beating that little twerp's face into the ground."

Cole pulled a confused look, placing a finger on his chin in mock-thought.

"Wow," he mused, sounding shocked. "And here I was wondering how an innocent kid like Jayden had just been suspended from school for fighting. That sort of stuff influences him, you know."

Derek sighed, clearly frustrated.

"I don't know what to do, Cole," Derek admitted, shaking his head as he placed his head in his hands, fingers tangled through his hair. "I love her. So much, I really do. This wouldn't hurt so much if I didn't, I guess. I've built the last seven years of my life around Casey, and I don't just want to forget about everything. I mean, she's my wife. It's not like breaking up with a girlfriend or anything. Divorce is a huge step. And I'm not so sure I'm ready to take it, anymore."

Cole brightened, looking extremely relieved at Derek's last words.

"Thank God," he breathed out, grinning a little. Derek looked up, confused, and he shrugged, looking sheepish. "Sorry, but you don't know how worried I was that you were acutally going to go through with the divorce. I mean, when Casey called me, crying and going on about how you were going to divorce her... I couldn't find it in me to sympathize much with her, because I figured... well, it's you, and you have a tendency of being irrational, and not coming through with these types of things in the end. But when you weren't coming back... I just kinda got worried that you had meant it. I can't stand to see you guys break up. You two are awesome together."

Derek didn't appear to be convinced, and he stared down at the floor, shrugging one shoulder. He gave a disbelieving sort of laugh, as though he didn't even think they were so amazing himself, anymore.

"If we were that amazing, she never would've cheated on me," he said, sounding hurt. "I mean... to me, we were amazing. We were never anything short of it. But I guess she felt differently."

"She doesn't," Cole said, his voice desperate. "Please try and understand that she feels the same way as you do. I know that's hard to believe right now, but you need to try and get it through your head. There's only so many times she can apologize, until it gets repetitive and annoying."

Derek completely reacted defensively then, not wanting to hear how he was making her repeat herself way too many times, or how he had to start getting things through his head. He had tried! But there was that mental block there, and he couldn't push past the wall of doubt that he had about the baby, and about her promise that she had not slept with him. Thinking on this, he immediately decided to ask Cole a question that he should've thought to ask him sooner.

"Did she sleep with him?" he asked, his voice desperate for truth. "She's telling me that she never, but maybe she's just scared I'll leave again. You're her best friend, Cole. And if there's ever something that she can't come to me with, she goes to you. So tell me; did she mention anything like that to you?"

Cole was staring at Derek with confusion, and he didn't take this as a good sign whatsoever.

"Please tell me," he said, shaking his head. "I have to know. I need to know if that baby she's carrying right now is mine, or Ryan's."

"What would you do if it wasn't yours?"

Cole's voice was casual, and Derek knew that he tried to pretend like the question was just out of curiousity. But Derek had a feeling that this was something that he had been wondering for awhile now. Derek could relate; he had put alot of thought into what he would do if this baby was not his. And after all of his thinking, and all of the sleepless nights that he had spent tossing and turning over this...

"I don't know," he admitted, sighing. "I really don't. I mean. I could try. I could attempt to raise him or her like my own... but tell me something. Could you honestly love a child that was the result of some dirty little affair between the love of your life, and your worst enemy? How would you feel if this was you, and it was Kallie? Having his child in the house is going to be a constant reminder that this really did happen, she really did cheat on me."

There was silence for a moment, and Cole finally broke it, feeling the need to put his opinion in, here.

"What if you're overreacting?" he asked, sounding hopeful. "What if this really is your baby, and she's telling the truth? Have you ever considered that? She never told me anything about it, so I can't tell you. But it's a possibility that she's being honest with you, isn't it?"

Derek thought on this for a moment, entwining his fingers lazily together in front of him as he bowed over, parallell with the floor beneath him. He finally gave a disbelieving laugh, one that was filled with hurt, and something that indicated he was in no way ready to believe a word Casey said.

"I'm just in a place where I don't want to let myself get too hopeful, alright?" he said, sighing. "I made the mistake of trusting her as much as I did... and look where it led me. Here with you, whining like PMS'ing teenager."

Before Cole could say anything else to Derek, there was shuffling from the other side of the room, in the doorway, and Casey appeared, looking completely stressed, but yet somehow pleasant, throughout it all. Her hair was slightly messed up as she struggled to smile at the men, her hand clutching the doorway lightly.

"Hey," she said, and when they both remained silent, she looked over at Derek. "Well, I've got him settled away at home. He's suspended for a week and a half, he has to write a two thousand word essay, and he has a week's worth of detentions when he gets back. But aside from that, he's okay. He's pretty bruised up, but I think he's proud of himself. Cam's gone to the hospital with a broken nose, apparantly."

Derek grinned, suddenly feeling proud of his son.

"Alright, Jay!" he said, a happy smile on his face at the thought of his son fighting so hard for the girl he wanted, something that Derek had so recently done for Casey. He was following in his father's foosteps, alright.

Casey, however, did not have as positive of an outlook on the situation, and she raised an eyebrow at Derek, unable to hide her disapproval. Her eyebrows scrunched together as her forehead wrinkled, and she looked as though she was completely disgusted with this reaction from her husband. For the first time since he'd gotten back, she contradicted him.

"Derek, this is serious," she said, shaking her head as she frowned. "Jayden got into a _fistfight_. He seriously injured his best friend-"

"No best friend would ever do to Jayden what Cam's been doing, Case," Derek argued, standing up as he stared her down, his arms folded across his chest. Cole looked awkwardly from one friend to the other, clearly torn between which side he should take, if he was forced to choose. And with Casey and Derek, it was more than likely that he would be asked to pick a side sometime soon. For now, he chose to sit back, and listen to the points that each of them were making on the matter.

"Cameron's harassing Jay," Derek argued, glaring at Casey, though his anger was not directed towards her, but rather at his son's attacker. "When I was in the school this morning, Cameron and a big group of his friends were standing around, just waiting to get him alone. He can't feel safe there, Case."

Casey's features instantly softened, and she frowned, sadness flickering through her eyes.

"They've been bullying him?" she asked, her voice sad and protective. When he didn't answer, she shook her head, clearly upset. "My poor-"

"Stop babying him," Derek said, not trying to be mean, but rather trying to make her see that Jayden did not need to be walked through life. He needed guidance, but he didn't need his parents fighting his battles for him. Casey was clearly offended by this statement, and since Derek didn't want another argument to break out, he rushed on.

"I'm not saying that in a mean way, but it's not okay to do everything for him, as much as you want to," he pointed out, and she remained silent, knowing he was right. "I'm proud of Jayden. You heard what the school said. From what they saw on the cameras, Cam had Jayden pinned down to the floor, and whether he meant to do it or not, he was choking him. His hand was closed around his throat, and you know what? Accident or not, that could've _killed _him! What Jayden did was in his own defense. Nobody can get mad at him for breaking a guy's nose in an attempt to, oh... I don't know, _breathe?_ You know, obtain oxygen, the food of life?"

"Okay, okay; I see your point," Casey finally said, giving into what Derek was telling her. "Cam maybe deserved what he got. But nonetheless, fighting isn't an answer to anything. I know it wasn't his fault, since Cameron took the first swing... and I don't expect Jayden to just stand there and get beaten up, but..."

She trailed off, running a frantic hand through her hair as she blew out a slow and patient breath, shaking her head.

"Okay, we'll just talk about this tonight," she said, glancing at a completely bewildered Cole. She shot him an apologetic look, shaking her head. "I'm sorry for putting all of this on you... I really am."

"Don't worry about it," Cole said, as Derek stood up, and walked towards the porch. When he was completely out of earshot, Cole stood up and crossed the room, placing a hand gently on Casey's shoulder. Her eyes were confused as he leaned in towards her, so that he could whisper in her ear, just in case Derek could hear anything.

"Get your act together," he told her, sounding not angry, but concerned. "You're on your last shot with Derek. You do anything to screw it up, I don't think he'll be so forgiving."

There was a pause, in which Casey cringed, hating that his words were absolutely true. She was on her last chance, and that actually terrified her. She knew that it shouldn't, if she was completely dedicated to being the best wife she could be, but accidents happened, and she was the queen of good intentions, and big mistakes.

"Just don't break his heart again," Cole finished, gripping her shoulder a little bit harder. "I don't think he can handle that."

Without another word, he pulled back, and kissed her forehead, brushing her hair off her face as he looked her up and down, as though he was trying to think of something else he could possibly say to her.

"You're a good person, Casey," he finally said, sighing sadly as he placed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head. "You just make some bad choices, sometimes."

Casey stood there, unsure of what to say to something like that. But she didn't have to respond, because Cole merely smiled at her, and turned away, making his way up the stairs. She stared after him, frowning slightly. She was only snapped out of her trance when a voice from the porch spoke up behind her, soft and curious, yet muffled by the doorway between them.

"You ready?"

She turned and looked through the closed glass door, and she saw Derek standing there, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly slumped. She squinted slightly at him, and for the first time all summer, she saw him for what he really was. He wasn't just her husband. He wasn't just Derek. He was Derek Venturi, the man who had lost his wife to another man, lost his son to some tragic accident, and lost himself to all of the misfortunes in his life that were way beyond his control. He was heartbroken, he was hurt, and he was completely broken by now. But yet he was trying. He was still set on making their relationship work- on making their family work. It had hardly occured to her how much he must care about her, and their kids, to come back and give this another shot. She'd left him for four whole years, over some tiny little mistake. And here he was, trying his hardest to forget about everything she had done to hurt him, just so they could try and be like they had been before.

"Case?"

She slipped her eyes back into focus, shaking her head slightly as she raised her gaze to meet his. He was frowning, looking slightly concerned as she stared at him, amazed.

"You okay?" he asked, confused as to why she was suddenly so speechless.

She shook her head, and pushed the glass door open. By the time she heard it close behind her, she already had her arms wrapped around Derek's neck, and she had her face buried into his shoulder. He hesitated slightly, tensing, but after a moment, he let his arms wrap around her waist, still completely confused.

"Uh... Case?" he questioned, unsure as to why she was suddenly acting so different. "Is everything okay, or-"

"Don't talk," she murmered into his skin, shaking her head. "Just listen."

"Listen to what?" he asked, his eyes completely lost. "Casey, I don't understa-"

"Just go get in the car," she said, pulling back to look him in the eye. He still looked uncertain, and she pressed her hands to his chest, giving him an encouraging push backwards, just enough to give him the idea.

"Go on," she said, nodding. "Just get in the car. We'll talk about this when we get home."

Derek still looked completely bewildered, and he squinted at her, raising one hand up in total confusion.

"Talk about _what_?" he cried, frustrated. "What did I do now?"

She softened, realizing that he seemed to think she was angry at him, or else offended by something he had done. Shaking her head to signal he was wrong, she leaned up to kiss his cheek quickly, trying to reassure him.

"You didn't do a single thing wrong," she whispered, looking apologetic. "And I think it's about time I realized that."

He softened a little, relaxing as he gave her a sad look.

"Case," he started, but she smiled sadly, taking another step towards the door.

"Just go."

Realizing that she wasn't willing to argue about this anymore, he gave a tiny nod of the head, and pushed the front door open, sighing as he allowed Casey to go out ahead of him.

- - - -

Jayden was completely silent as he stared at his ex best friend, unsure of what to say to her. He couldn't read the expression on her face, and he was worried that she was going to yell at him for getting into a fight with Cameron. It hadn't been his fault, of course, but wouldn't she still be mad about him breaking her boyfriend's nose?

"What is it, Kayla?" he asked, sighing with defeat. "You here to yell at me a little bit more? Because I have to tell you, your little bitch-fit at the airport was enough to do me for awhile. I'd rather not listen to you go on and on about how I hurt Cameron, and how big of a jerk I am, and how I never should've gotten violent, or- "

"Jayden, I came to apologize!" she broke out, her hand clamping down on his wrist to grab his attention. He stopped, his mouth hanging open mid-sentence, and he stared at her for a moment, searching for some sort of truth in her eyes. He found it, but it was still so hard to believe that she had actually come here, after all of this had gone on, to apologize.

He stared at her, completely confused, trying to make some sense out of what she had just said to him.

"You.. you what?" he stammered out, awestruck. "But you... you said... and you haven't talked to me in... and you... and Cameron..."

She nodded her head as she released her fingers from his wrist, sighing.

"I know what I said, and I know that I've been freezing you out," she explained, blushing a little. "And you don't have to tell me this, because I know that I've been a really big jerk to you."

Jayden snorted, looking away for a moment.

"You can say that again," he muttered, looking hurt. She cringed, but when he looked up again, she forced herself to pay attention to his words.

"What do you really want?" he asked, looking up at her with a pained expression, as though he couldn't quite handle anymore heartbreak from her.

She shifted to the end of the coffee table that she was sitting on so that her knees touched his, and he jumped slightly, trying not to notice the effect even that slight bit of contact had on him.

"I told you," she said, looking slightly impatient. "I want to apologize. I was a jerk to you. You can't help your feelings, and I should have been more sensitive to that."

Jayden raised an eyebrow, slightly suspicious of her. What if this was all some big joke that her and Cameron were playing on him, for revenge? He wouldn't put it past Cameron to set Kayla after Jayden, just as some sort of sick joke. He shook his head, frowning.

"I don't buy it," he said, and when she looked frustrated, he sighed, and sat up a little bit straighter. "Okay, let's pretend for a second that you're being one hundred percent serious. Why the sudden change of heart? Thi smorning, you acted like I was... like... a piece of gum on your shoe, when I handed you that worksheet in math class. And suddenly, you want to apologize to me?"

She bowed her head down, blushing furiously. His eyebrows scrunched together with confusion as he sen that she actually looked articulately upset. Really, she wasn't this good of an actress, was she?

"Kayla..." he said slowly, starting to wonder if she was actually being honest. "Are you... um... okay?"

She laughed gently, shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter," she said, sighing. "I'm just going to get down to it..."

Jayden's head was starting to hurt at this point, because he had absolutely no idea what was going on, and what Kayla was really up to. So when he saw her straightening up to look him in the eye, he was surprised to see how honest she looked.

"I made a mistake," she breathed out, sighing deeply. "When you told me how you felt about me, I sort of reacted too quickly, and just freaked. I guess I got defensive, because... I was scared."

He frowned, shifting closer to her so that they were sitting directly across from each other, their knees still touching. Her hands were resting lightly on her knees, and he wanted so dearly to reach out and take her hands in his. It wouldn't have been uncommon for him to do something like that before all of this had happened, but now? Well now, he was scared that she'd slap him, and whatever remorse she had felt before would be gone completely, and she'd hate him again.

So instead, he chose to be soft with his words, as opposed to his actions.

"Go on," he said quietly, trying to sound as caring as possible. "What were you going to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his eyes, looking somewhat scared.

"I acted like a jerk, and I'm sorry," she began, sounding as though she wanted to get all of this out as soon as possible. "I was scared, because I mean... I've been with Cam for awhile now, and everything is just... well, I'm used to being with him, you know? But before I liked him, before we were even together... I... um, well... I sort of liked you..."

Jayden was completely silent for a moment, and he could've sworn his heart was going to burst out of his chest soon- it was beating that quickly. He wanted to believe the words that she had just said, and he was terrified that those wonderful words had been wrong- that his ears were playing cruel tricks on him. He didn't think he could take anymore misunderstandings, so he cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter.

"Sorry," he said, trying not to allow himself to be too hopeful. "-but did you just say you... you used to like me?"

She nodded, blushing as she looked him in the eye, clearly ashamed.

"Yeah, I did," she admitted, and he was so relieved to hear that her voice was honest, matching the articulation reflected in her pretty eyes. "I liked you for a really long time. But there was always something in my way. You'd have a girlfriend already, or I wouldn't know how to tell you... and the biggest one of all. I was terrified that you would just see me as a friend... and that would break my heart."

His eyes narrowed angrily, and he glared at her, feeling heartbreak rip through his veins again, tearing at his heart.

"Just friends?" he cried, his voice shaking with rage. "How the hell do you think I felt when you told me you just saw me as a friend? It broke _my_ heart! So what? It's okay for me to have my heart broken, but not for you. Is that what you're trying to say? Do you know how selfish that is?"

"That's not what I meant!" she argued, shaking her head quickly to quiet him. "Jayden, calm down. All I meant was that those were my reasons for not telling you. I didn't mean to break your heart or anything, but... I was just scared. Everything was so stable, with me and Cam together, and I thought that my feelings for you had faded away. I still liked you when I started going out with Cam."

Jayden was surprised at this, and he raised an eyebrow, feeling a little bit better.

"Really?" he questioned, and she nodded, looking upset. He shook his head, not understanding. "So if you liked me, why did you go out with Cam?"

She shrugged, staring off at something that Jayden clearly couldn't see, at some point above his head.

"I figured me and you would never happen," she said, sounding like she had no idea why she had been so stupid, before. "So when Cam asked me out, I just sort of figured that I might as well give it a shot. And eventually... my feelings for you just faded, and I started to like him."

Jayden's heart broke again, and he bowed his head, fighting back the urge to cry. Real men didn't cry, right? But damn, this hurt so much. He had been stupid to get his hopes up. What was he thinking, assuming a girl like Kayla would ever really go out with him? He wasn't that great.

"Oh," was all he could think of to say, and his voice was harsh as he struggled not to cry. "Okay. Well... you can just leave then, I guess. Thanks for telling me. Hope you and Cam are real happy together. Tell him I hope the nose heals up real nice."

He moved to stand up, and he turned his head to the side to shield the emotion that was playing so clearly across his features. He had only gotten a step away from the couch, when stood up, grabbing onto his arm tightly to hold him back from walking away. He cringed as he struggled to keep his eyes fixed away from her. He couldn't look at her. Looking at her would just mean more heartache. All he could think about when he saw her was that she was Cameron's girl, and not his.

"Jayden," she said, her voice full of sympathy and remorse.

"Let me go," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the floor. "Please, just let me go. Go back to Cameron; that's where you're supposed to be, isn't it? He got you first. I took too long, I guess."

"Jayden,"

"It doesn't matter that I love you- not to you, anyway. So just go back to the guy who only likes you because you're hot."

Her grip loosened slightly, and she frowned, hurt flickering through her eyes.

"He said that?" she asked quietly, slightly distracted by this information. He nodded, and her face fell. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed, disgusted. "He told me that you're hot, and he likes you. Jesus, I listed about ten reasons why he should love you... ten reasons why _I _love you... and all he could say was that he's too young to love. He's so blind, Kayla. I laid the reasons out, right in front of his eyes, and... I just don't get it."

She was quiet for a moment, biting on her lower lip gently as realization flickered through her eyes.

"What were your reasons?" she asked, her voice gentle and curious. He looked confused, and she shrugged, her eyes hopeful. "-the reasons why you love me. What were they?"

He looked surprised, and slightly taken aback by her question. He shifted uncomfortably, frowning as he struggled to come up with some sort of way to answer her, in a way that might help his case a little.

"Well, um..." he said, trailing off. He mentally slapped himself for being so completely and totally lovestruck. How was it that he could list almost a million reasons why he loved her, through his head, day after day, but when it came down to the important stuff- when he actually had to tell her... he had nothing. He racked his brain, but all of the usual reasons seemed to be evaporating from his mind, distracted by the fact that she was right in front of him, holding onto his arm, telling him how she felt.

When Jayden didn't answer, her face fell, and there was obvious hurt in her eyes. She dropped his arm, her eyes narrowed, and filled with hurt.

"Great," she said, sounding like she was about to cry. "This is wonderful, huh? I pour my heart out to you, and it turns out you were lying about loving me, anyway. Why can't you guys just say how you feel, instead of lying to tell us what you think we want to hear? I'd rather you be honest with me; but it's clear to me that you can't do that."

Without another word, she shot him a disgusted look, and turned her back, her hair flying over her shoulder. Jayden's heart ached, and he reached out, grabbing her by the hand, and pulling her to him. She came to a stop right against him, her chest pressed against his as their faces stopped within a few inches of each other. Jayden found himself gulping nervously; he hadn't for them to wind up this close, not like he didn't enjoy it. He could see every fleck in her eyes, every inch of the smooth skin on her face as he allowed his hand to drop from hers, and reach around to rest lightly on the small of her back.

"Jayden," she said, but he knew that he had to get this out before he lost his nerve. Shaking his head, he cut her off, his voice rambling, but somehow coherant.

"I love you for so many reasons," he began, finding that he was trying to get everything out in one breath, because he couldn't really breathe right, at the moment. "I love you because you know me better than anyone else knows you. You know I've got flaws, and you've always accepted them, and liked me for who I am, even when I'm being an idiot. I love you because you're not perfect either, but yet in my mind... you're still amazing. You've got this cute little way of being mad at me, and I can always tell what's on your mind. I love that you're not afraid to tell me how you feel about something... except apparantly this, but whatever. I could stand here all day and list reasons why I love you, but it would all come out as unromantic crap, because I'm awful with words."

She was staring at him, wide-eyed and surprised, and he could feel her breathing heavily against his chest. He could only hope it was out of desire. He knew that if he let this chance slip away from him, he may never get it again. And with Kayla, he couldn't take that risk. He figured that he already had nothing to lose, so he took a deep breath, and stared her right in the eye.

"There's one big reason though..." he said, biting his lip. "I think it's the most important one of all."

She frowned slightly, looking a bit nervous.

"What is it?" she asked, and before she could even comprehend what was happening, his other hand had gone down to her waist, and he closed the remaining distance between them with a kiss. His lips moved against hers, and he felt electricity shoot through every vein in his body, swelling up in his heart. And he knew. He knew Kayla felt the same. He knew that they were supposed to be together. And he knew that he'd never regret kissing her, even if she rejected him, after. He would never regret it, because this kiss had helped him realize that Kayla was the girl he'd been waiting for.

She wasn't kissing him back at first, but whether it was out of shock or disgust, he didn't know. He felt relief flood through him when she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other tangling through his hair, pulling on it gently as she hauled him impossibly closer to her, needing more.

When he finally pulled away, only for lack of air, his eyes were sparkling, and he managed to speak, his voice shaking.

"The last reason... is 'cause everytime I see you... I wanna do that," he whispered, pressing one more quick kiss to her lips, and pulling back. She was shocked, her eyes still staring into his as she struggled to come to terms with what had just happened. He allowed her a few moments to think, and he could only pray that she would see how much he loved her. He had done all he could, and he was well aware that the power was all in her hands now.

"Jayden," she whispered quietly, both of her eyes scanning each of his with amazement. "Did you... did you really mean all of that?"

He nodded, his heart beating quickly in his chest.

"I really did," he replied, and she smiled, pressing her forehead against his. He could only hope that this was her attempt at sending him a good signal, but he waited patiently for her to speak.

"I've got one more reason for you to love me," she said happily, the smile only growing wider as she stared into his eyes. "Two, actually."

He waited, his mind racing, and she laughed a little, her fingers still combing through his hair.

"I broke up with Cameron," she informed him, and his eyes went wide as she went onto her second reason. "I realized... over the past few weeks, when we weren't really talking to each other at all... that my feelings for you... they didn't go away. I made them fade, so that I could be happy with Cameron. But when you told me how you felt, I kept finding flaws in him, and thinking of all the reasons why I had liked you so much."

"Liked?" he asked, his voice nervous as he watched her impatiently. "What about love?"

She frowned a little, and he quickly jumped to cover up what had come out like a selfish statement.

"I'm not trying to tell you how to feel," he said, shaking his head. "I'm really not. But I need to know if you can ever see yourself... well, you know... loving me too?"

She stared at him for a moment, before sighing, looking a little stressed.

"Give me some time," she said, causing his smile to fade away a little bit. "I just got out of this relationship with Cameron, and he _did_ mean alot to me. But all I know is that I've never felt this way about any other guy before... only you. I really, really, really like you... so much that it scares me sometimes. And... I think that... subconciously, maybe I already love you... but it's going to take some getting used to."

He waited, suspecting that there was more, and after a moment, he realized he was right. He held his breath hopefully as she nodded her head at him, giving a little half smile.

"I want to give this a try," she said, allowing him to release the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. "You mean more to me than Cameron ever did... and, well... if you want us to be together, then-"

He nodded quickly, his face blood red with excitement as he struggled to stand upright.

"Yes, absolutely, a million times yes," he said, and remembering what Derek had told him about dating, he calmed down a little, giving an absent-minded shrug. "I mean... you know, it's cool..."

Kayla laughed as he put on his best cool face, and she shook her head, wincing.

"What have I told you?" she laughed, amused. "Never listen to your father's dating tips. I already like you, loser. Don't blow it."

"Don't blow it," he said, relaxing as he nodded. "Right. I'm not so good with that."

She grinned, tightening her hold on him.

"Me neither," she admitted, shrugging. "I guess we're both sort of new at this whole thing, right?"

He nodded, smiling back a little as he blushed.

"Right," he said, and he moved to kiss her. Instead of her lips, he felt his nose bump gently with hers, and he blushed furiously. He was going to turn out like one of those geeky boyfriends who couldn't even kiss her right; he just knew it. He was just so nervous, that he didn't even know what to do with himself. He'd had girlfriends before, and he'd always been an expert boyfriend. But now... it was just different. It was like he was scared to screw up with her.

His eyes flew open again, and he looked her right in the eye, blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his face blood red. "Really sorry..."

She laughed gently, looking a little embarassed herself.

"You already impressed me with that first kiss of yours a few minutes back, Romeo," she reminded him, and he relaxed a little, trying to shove it from his mind. "So let's forget about this, and try again, huh?"

He smiled sheepishly, still embarassed, but knowing that she was being honest, and she didn't mind.

"Sounds good," he said, and as he leaned in for another kiss, he heard the front door open, and he groaned, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I vote for my own apartment," he muttered, clearly frustrated. "How old do you have to be to move out again?"

"Forty!" Casey declared as she walked into the room, and Derek rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets.

"Eighteen, and you're not going anywhere," he said, sighing. He noticed the position Jayden and Kayla were in; their chests were still pressed together, and they both had their arms wrapped around each other, their foreheads pressed together. Jayden realized this, and jumped back slightly, blushing. Kayla bit her lip, folding her arms across her chest as she tried not to think about the fact that his parents had just walked in on them like that.

Derek merely laughed, shaking his head at their actions.

"Relax, Romeo and Juliet," he noted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "We already know you're together. How stupid do you think we are? 'Cause I usually don't hug my friends like that."

Casey noticed that he glanced over at her when he said that, his voice slightly bitter, as though trying to make a point. But she shoved it away, figuring that it must be her imagination. She smiled at her son, who had relaxed, and taken his girlfriend's hand again.

"Isn't that the cutest-"

"Stop right there," Derek said, his eyes wide. "Honestly, if the poor boy doesn't kick you out of this room first, I will. Let's go."

"But it's cute-"

"Upstairs."

He placed a hand on her back, leading her from the room as she continued to glance over her shoulder, smiling at the pair.

"But they're-"

"-about to get some well deserved privacy," Derek put in, fighting back laughter. "Keep walking."

"Aw, come on... I just want to-"

Derek finally got her out of the room, and he glanced over his shoulder, rolling his eyes.

"Have fun," he said, before turning away. It only took him a moment to turn back, and narrow his eyes. "But not _too_ much fun. Me and Casey are only upstairs you know. And I do have a protective side, over both of you... so... just keep it PG thirteen, alright?"

"Yes, Dad," Jayden said, blushing a little. His father grinned, before winking at him, and closing the door. Jayden smiled a little, turning back to Kayla, who looked amused by the men's actions.

"Sorry about-" he started, but was cut off with a kiss.

Yeah, this was so worth the wait.

* * *

**Review. Casey is going to talk to Derek in the next chapter, so hopefully that will sort out some of their problems. **


	28. This Feeling is Perfection

**This is shorter, mainly because it was a transition chapter. It was done in about an hour, so not sure how good it is, but nonetheless, it is Dasey. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: This Feeling is Perfection**

When Derek and Casey got to their bedroom, Casey still blabbering on about how adorable it was that Jayden went out with Kayla, Derek closed the door, his jaw set firmly with determination. He wasn't listening to a single word she was saying as he leaned against the door for a moment, his eyes fixed on the carpet. He didn't bother to tune in as Casey rambled on.

"-and did you see how happy he looked? My God, those two are so adorable, and I just-"

"What did you have to talk to me about?" he cut her off, his eyes snapping up to meet hers. Her mouth was hanging open midsentence, and she slowly closed it, the smile disappearing from her lips immediately.

"What?" she asked, and he shook his head as he took a step towards her, his eyes narrowed.

"Don't play stupid," he said, sitting down next to her. "You were all upset earlier when we were at Cole's, and you told me that you would tell me why. So go on, because I'm listening. And Case, right now... you really need to do some talking, because I'm still considering leaving, and-"

"Okay, I'll tell you!" she cut in, and inwardly, he felt a sense of power wash over him. Oh yeah- he knew how to get through to her. He sighed, waiting for her to speak. She laced her fingers together in front of her, her hair framing her face as she stared down at the floor, trying to think of what she should say to him. It was obvious that she couldn't piece together one thought in particular, so she sighed, turning her head to look at him.

"There's so much I need to say to you, but whenever I try to get it out... it just comes out as one big mess. I don't know how to explain this to you. I was cheating on you, but somehow, I didn't love you any less. I always loved you just as much as I always had. I'd be with you, and I'd feel so guilty. I don't know how many times I promised myself that the next time I saw Ryan, I'd call it off. But I never did. I tried a couple of times, but he always just sort of pushed it."

"So he forced you?" Derek asked, his eyes glazing over with anger. She hesitated, squinting a little. She could so easily lie, and make it seem like Ryan had sort of manipulated her, which of course, he had. But she could exaggerate. She could make it seem like she had been forced into staying into this whole little affair. But she had lied to him enough already.

"Not exactly," she said, shaking her head. "He put it out there... and I just... I went along with it. Everytime I tried to back out, he'd just... he'd manipulate me. It wasn't force. I knew what I was doing, and once I started..."

"That's enough; I get it," Derek said, cringing slightly. He was silent for a moment as she stopped talking, knowing it was killing him to hear about what she had done with Ryan. He bit his lip gently, thinking of what he should ask her next.

"Do you... do you feel anything for him, anymore?" he asked, sounding scared. "More importantly... did you ever... like, you know... love him?"

She looked into his eyes, and saw how anxious he was. She knew that this question must have been on his mind for awhile, and she slowly shook her head, absolutely sure about this.

"I never loved him," she said honestly, and when he still looked uncertain, she shifted closer to him, placing her hand on his knee gently. "Derek, I swear to you. I never, ever loved Ryan. I had some feelings for him, but they weren't strong. They were nothing like what I feel for you, and I think they were just based on a physical attraction. Whatever I felt for him, it's gone now. I can promise you that. Every ounce of love I have is for you, and for us. Ryan is just... he's just a guy. He's nothing to me, anymore."

"But he was," Derek put in, sounding put out, and she nodded, knowing it was best to tell the truth,

"He was, but... God, how do I explain this to you?" she asked, blowing out an impatient breath as she ran a hand through her hair, stumbling over her own words. She looked up again, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of her.

"Everything was falling apart, and it was all out of my control. Me and you were fighting alot, Jeff was in hospital, and it was like I couldn't help anything that was happening around me. It was such a scary reality, and Ryan... he just... he didn't know Jeff, he didn't talk to you. It was like he was completely seperate from everything else in my life. And you know how much I hated my life, for the longest time this summer."

He snorted, giving a tiny nod of the head.

"Yeah, I kinda got that vibe after you started popping about fifty painkillers at once," he said, rolling his eyes. She cringed a little, but he sighed, placing his hand on top of hers. Her heart leapt at his actions, but she decided not to comment on it as she sucked in a sharp breath, glancing down at their hands, resting softly together on his knee.

"Go on," he said, sighing. "You've got my attention, at the very least."

"I don't know what else I can say," she admitted, frowning as she looked up at him, slightly bewildered. "What do you want me to say? I mean, I feel like there's something you're waiting on, and I really don't know what that is. Just tell me what's on your mind."

He was silent, staring down at their hands for a moment. Of course there was something on his mind. There was one particular thing that he couldn't push past that mental block in his head.

"The baby," he said, sighing. "I need to know if it's mine."

Her eyes flickered with realization, and she shook her head desperately, looking completely exhausted by now.

"Derek, I swear... I never..."

"How do I believe that?" he asked, laughing slightly. "How do I know this isn't just bullshit to get me to stay? You've been lying to me all summer, Case! You don't know how badly I want to believe you. I want to believe that this baby is mine, and that you're telling the truth, and me and you are going to be fine... that our _family _is going to be fine. But whenever I get close to believing you, there's that little voice in the back of my head... the one that keeps reminding me how much I've been lied to this summer. And I don't want to be played again, Case."

She was silent, because she knew he was right. She didn't deserve to be trusted, and she knew that. If she were him, she would be doing the exact same thing right about now. She couldn't be mad at him for something that was perfectly logical, and perfectly rational.

"I can only hope that you'll believe me when that paternity test comes back, and proves you're the father," she said, sighing. She paused, and fear flickered through her eyes as she looked up, realization slapping her across the face.

"You... you _will_ believe me, won't you?" she asked, nervous now. "I mean, if it comes back and says it's your kid, will you still think that I'm lying?"

He hesitated, and for one brief moment, she was terrified that he was going to deny her- that he was going to ask for further confirmation. She wasn't sure what that would involve, but she knew he'd somehow find a way to get the truth out of her.

She was relieved when he shook his head, sighing.

"No, I'll believe you," he said, and she felt her body relax slightly with this knowledge secured. "I sort of already believe you... but there's that little bit of doubt there, and it's something that I really can't push past. I mean, I can't let something as big as paternity go, Casey. I hope you understand that. It's just something I need to do, to set my mind at ease, okay?"

She nodded, sadness filling her eyes.

"I get it," she said, sighing. "It hurts, to know you don't trust me. But I know that I deserve it, and I know that you're doing what you've got to do to get over this."

He nodded, and they were quiet for a moment, before Casey spoke up. She felt like this was her one chance to get everything out in the open, and she wasn't going to blow it.

"What about the divorce?" she said, biting her lip gently. She nodded towards the stack of papers on their dresser, cringing. He looked in the direction in which she had nodded, acknowleding what she had been referring to, before looking back down, shrugging.

"I don't know, Casey," he admitted, sounding like he already had his mind made up; he just didn't want to say it out loud. "It's a big decision, and I just need to decide if it's something I want, and if it's what's best. Because over the past three weeks that I've been gone, my mind's just been telling me that divorce is the only option."

"Oh..." she said, and he was almost certain that she was going to say more, but when she didn't, he looked over to see tears in her eyes. He instantly felt bad, but he tried to force himself not to move to comfort her. She had caused this for herself, right? He knew that if he gave into her, he'd somehow end up solving problems that maybe he wasn't ready to solve just yet.

So he decided to just verbally confront her about it, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Why are you crying?" he asked her, guessing the answer in his mind. "Is it because of the divorce?"

She shook her head, one single tear rolling down her cheek. He frowned, his eyebrows scrunching together with confusion.

"No?" he questioned, lost. He had really thought that this was what she bad been crying over. "What is it then? The custody thing?"

Another shake of the head indicated that he was wrong again, and he sighed, watching as her shoulders shook. He watched her for another moment, his heart breaking, before rolling his eyes, letting out a deep breath.

_'There should be rules against men being as utterly whipped as I am,_' he thought to himself, as he shifted over next to her, and wrapped his arms around her small body, hugging her against him as she cried. She was still incredibly underweight, and he had a feeling that she had lost more when he had been gone. He could practically feel her ribs, and he squeezed her a little bit tighter, his eyes closing. He was such a mess right now. His feelings for Casey were still so strong, and he loved and cared for her more than anything. He was scared to leave again, because it was only now occuring to him what she might have been doing to herself when he had been gone. The suicide announcement that had brought him back home kept running through his head, and he feared that, if he left, he might not be so lucky, next time. He was torn between freezing her out, and having his little revenge on her, or giving her the care that she so desperately needed. And she really did need it. She was so depressed, and so suicidal, and no matter how much she smiled and tried to cover it up, he had seen scars. He had seen her taking more than her prescribed doseage of painkillers. He had mentioned this little bit to her, and she had cut back on the pills, knowing it could harm the baby. And he heard her cry at night. Her sobs echoed through his mind all night, turning his dreams to nightmares, her tearful face turning his dreams from color, to black and white, in a heartbeat.

"When was the last time you went to therapy?" he asked her, curious. He didn't let go of her as he waited for a response. She had been scheduled to start some treatment during the week he left, and he could only assume that she had gone ahead with it.

But her silence was not something he took as a good sign.

"Casey?" he asked, his chin still resting on top of her head. He pulled his head back a bit to look at her, nervous. "Casey... you answer me. When was the last time you went to therapy?"

She pulled back to look at him, guilt and shame in her eyes.

"I never started," she admitted, and he felt his heart skip a beat with fear. "I couldn't bring myself to do it, and I just didn't have the time. I was trying to take care of Kelly and Jayden, and get to the hospital to see Jeff, and then this whole divorce thing came into it, and-"

"Shh," he said, pulling her back to his chest, wincing as he felt her shaking. "God... this is so messed up."

"I'm sorry," she murmered into his shirt, her words almost inaudible. But somehow, he heard her. "I'm so, so, incredibly, unbelieveably sorry. Cheating on you was such a mistake, and I swear over my life I don't have a single feeling for Ryan. I love you, so much. I'll completely understand if you leave me over this. I'll never, ever get over it, and I probably won't move on, but I'll understand, because I know it was my choices, and my mistakes. So do what you have to, but keep in mind... I really do love you. I'm never going to cheat on you again."

She trailed off, knowing that no more words were needed. He hesitated as he held her, thinking over everything that she had just said. She was really, truly, absolutely sorry for what she had done. She felt nothing for Ryan, and Derek knew that he now had her complete and total dedication again.

He glanced over at the custody papers, and the divorce papers that were lying on the dresser, a symbol of one path that their future could hold. That was his first choice. The other path, the more enjoyable one... well that was right here in his arms. Divorce would be ugly and messy, and he preferred to think of that as the beaten down, worn out path, one you might find in the forest, somewhere.

He had always enjoyed the scenic route.

He sighed, unwrapping his arms from Casey as he stood up, and made his way across the room. She looked up, surprised that her support system had suddenly disappeared, and she watched nervously as he made his way to the dresser, and picked up the stack of papers in his hand. Holding onto them, he made his way back to the bed, sitting down next to her. She glanced down at the papers in his hand, frowning.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, somewhat nervous. "You're not gonna like... make me sign those, are you?"

He shook his head, and without another word, he ripped them in half, feeling a little bit of his heart heal as he did so. This was a big step for him... for them. He ripped them again and again, until he probably couldn't do it anymore. He had made a mess, but Casey didn't give a damn as she got out choked laughter, and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I love you," she whispered, her lips brushing his ear gently. "-so much."

"I know," he murmered, closing his eyes. "I love you too. We'll get that pregnancy test tomorrow. I want this out of the way as soon as possible. And if that comes out like we planned... I promise you we can start working on fixing everything, okay?"

She smiled a little, kissing the side of his head.

"Sounds perfect," she said, pulling back. She laughed a little as she wiped at her eyes, where her mascara was running.

"Great," she mused, shaking her head. "I look like a zombie."

"You look gorgeous," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "But as gorgeous as you are, I think I need to take a nap. I want to get to have extra energy if we're going out in the morning. Wake me up for supper though; I only want an hours sleep, or so. So if Jayden and Kayla would ever get out of the living room, I could-"

They paused when they heard a girly giggle downstairs, and Derek's eyes narrowed as he frowned.

"Hey!" he called out, letting go of Casey, and standing up. "I said PG thirteen, you guys! I've seen enough R-rated movies to know that that stupid giggling doesn't have anything to do with rainbows and unicorns... don't think I won't come down there!"

Without another word, he was gone, and Casey laughed a little as she stared after him. They were going to be okay; she was sure of it.

- - - -

Casey woke up in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking. She'd had the worst nightmare. In it, Jeff had been accidently taken off life support, when the doctors had gotten his files mixed up. Derek had been yelling at her, saying it was all her fault, and Jayden and Kelly were taking their father's side...

And there had been something in there about a purple cat, but she wasn't too sure what that had been about.

She pressed her hands to her forehead, still shaking fearfully.

"You okay, baby?"

A hand touched her elbow lightly, and Casey squealed, nearly falling out of the bed. Who the _hell_ was in her bed?

She caught herself on the edge of the bed, and reached desperately for the lamp, pulling on the metal chain that activated the lightbulb. She relaxed when she saw a very shirtless Derek lying next to her, his eyes half open, his hair a mess. If she wasn't so freaked out over her dream, and the scare she had just gotten, she would've smiled, because he looked so cute when he just woke up.

"God, Derek," she murmered, her hand over her chest, against her heart. "You scared me. Where the hell did you come from?"

He fell back down against the pillow, his arm wrapping lazily around her waist.

"Mmm, I came up to ask you 'bout supper, and you were asleep," he mumbled against her back, considering she was back onto him. She glanced over her shoulder at him, frowning, and he went on, his eyes still closed. He was clearly hovering somewhere between sleep and reality.

"You looked lonely..." he murmered. "-didn't have any blankets... thought you could use some comp'ny."

"I thought you were mad at me," she said, confused. "You slept on the couch yesterday, didn't you?"

"Uncomfortable," he got out, his voice weaker by the moment as he drifted off back to sleep. "Like it better here. You're here."

"Derek,"

"Night, Case."

Without another word, she felt him relax completely, and she sighed, flicking off the lamp, and falling back down against the pillow. She could feel his arms secured around her waist, and she smiled at the feeling. It had been almost a month since she'd slept with his arms around her. She snuggled back into him even further, and placed her hands over his on her stomach.

He'd probably be bitter towards her again, by the time they went to get the paternity test, and she knew that he'd probably only come up here because he couldn't get Jayden and Kayla to leave, but she didn't care.

Because this feeling was perfection.

* * *

**Review, and more shall follow. The paternity test is next chapter.**


	29. Long Time Coming

**This is mainly a filler chapter, and I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Enjoy, anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Long Time Coming **

The next morning was a tough one for Derek. He woke up at about five in the morning, unable to sleep. Because he knew that today was the day he would find out if Casey was carrying his child, or Ryan's. Today was going to be the day that could make or break the rest of his life. And he knew it. He wanted so badly to believe her when she said she hadn't slept with Ryan, but the timing of it all was so coincidental. And the way she had been so reluctant to take the paternity test... sure, she had said it was because she would feel like a whore, and she didn't feel trusted, but to be quite honest, he didn't trust her- about this, anyway. She was someone who got scared and threatened when something or someone they loved could be taken away from them, and he could see her lying just to get out of this, as much as he wanted to believe her.

He had stayed in bed, lying there for two and a half hours, just thinking. Thinking of how amazing it would be to raise another child with Casey, if this baby was his. Thinking of how much this could help their family. And briefly, his thoughts were of Jeff. His son was still lying in hospital, after almost four months of pain and suffering. It was starting to become obvious to Derek that he just wasn't going to wake up. Maybe he really was gone, and maybe he really wouldn't come back to them. Had Casey been right all along? He had tried not to think of this as he listened to Casey get up. She had spoken his name quietly a couple of times, to see if he would respond, but he had pretended to be asleep. He wasn't ready for anything too stressful yet this morning. He needed to save his patience; he had a paternity test to go to.

When he finally went downstairs, at around seven thirty, she was already there, sitting on a bar stool with her feet propped up one of the rungs. She was wearing pink pajama pants and a black hoodie of Derek's, with the sleeves falling past her wrists, covering half of her hands. She clutched a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, and her hair was falling straight around her shoulders, framing her face. Her eyes were lost as she stared off into space, clearly thinking hard about something.

Derek studied her carefully. He didn't want to think that she was the type of woman who would lie about cheating, especially when something as big as paternity was an issue. He watched as she took a sip of her drink, the mug lingering on her lips for a moment before she lowered it again, staring off thoughtfully. Only her and Ryan knew what had really happened. She'd told him her version, but he had no way of knowing if the baby inside of her right now was his, or Ryan's. He wondered what would happen if it were Ryan's son or daughter. It'd be awkward, having Ryan's kid growing up in his house, having... would it be a stepson? Not technically, he guessed. Or would it be? God, this was confusing. He didn't even know if he'd stay with her if she had slept with Ryan, and lied about it. He was starting to regret a couple of the things he'd said last night, and he was definitely starting to regret being so nice. Why had he sent her such a positive vibe, when he didn't even know what he would do, if this wasn't his baby.

But as he saw the depressed look in her eyes, one of fear and utter sadness, he knew he'd stay with her through anything. Loving her so much could be a curse sometimes. He wouldn't be able to get up and leave her, even if she did give birth to someone else's child. She had him wrapped around her finger, and he wasn't too willing to let go. He was scared to let go. She had been all he had for so long now, and he wasn't too sure how to live without her.

Sighing, he came up next to her, giving her a very tiny kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, Casey," he said stiffly, placing his hand on her waist for just a second. She glanced up over her shoulder, trying to smile. When she couldn't, she merely nodded, turning away again.

"Morning."

He sighed, letting go of her as he crossed the room to the fridge, pulling it open and lowering his head to find some food. He was trying to take as long as he could, because this was so unbearably awkward. Things had been so amazing last night, before they went to sleep. They had been getting along, and talking, and even laughing a little. So why was it so awkward and tense now? He had a feeling that it was because of the paternity test thay they both knew she had to take in a couple of hours.

Remembering this, he sighed, and decided to just get the obvious out of the way, right off the bat.

"I'm thinking we'll go to the pregnancy clinic around nine, okay?" he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I made the appointment for nine thirty, but maybe we can get in a little bit early."

Out of the corner, he saw her open her mouth to protest him on this, to tell him that she didn't want to go. But the next second, she had closed it again, and she merely nodded, clutching her mug tighter to her. It was obvious that she knew she was powerless, in this situation. She knew she had done this to herself, and she knew that, if she hadn't of gone off with Ryan, she wouldn't have to do this today. But that didn't stop her from being distant from Derek. He was, after all, the one making her do this.

"Sure, whatever you say," she said coldly, shrugging. "I don't care."

Derek straightened up, closing the fridge. He turned his body to face her, and he saw her shrink back a little, as though worried that she'd said something wrong. He frowned at her, leaning against the counter opposite her by the palms of his hands. There was a confused look on his face as he spoke to her, and his eyebrows scrunched together curiously.

"What do you mean you don't care, Casey?" he asked, worried. "This is your child. You should damn well care. A whole lot, actually."

She shrugged, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the floor again.

"Maybe I won't be around to care," she mumbled, her voice low in an attempt to stop him from hearing her. But amazingly, he did hear, and he paled as he straightened up a little bit.

"What do you mean, you 'won't be around'?" he asked, his voice nervous. "Casey? _Casey_, you answer me right now. What did that mean?"

She shifted uncomfortably, and he could tell she regretted even saying it to him, for now he wouldn't let up until he had the full story. But she didn't utter a word to him, and he began to grow very worried. He had a inkling of what she had really meant, and he didn't like it at all.

"Casey, you're not touching those damn painkillers again."

She looked up, her eyes sparkling slightly at how he could always read her mind like that. But her amazement at him went away, and she allowed herself to give a lopsided shrug.

"They're prescription, Derek," she reminded him, as though that simplified everything. "I've been getting headaches from stress. The depression is still there. The doctor told me to take them."

He shook his head, standing up and making his way around the counter. He looked down at her, swallowing nervously as he gripped her chin, tilting her head up to look at him.

"You're abusing them," he said, his voice anxious. She turned her head away, but he urged it back towards him. "Casey, look at me. You are abusing your prescription, okay? I already had the doctor cut the doseage in half, and I can tell him what you're doing now. Don't think I'm above cutting off your prescription altogether. I'm perfectly okay with you having stress headaches, and having to switch medications for your depression, as long as you're not killing yourself. You agreed to stop, because you know full well you've got a child who needs you to stay healthy. Besides that, you should be interested in staying healthy for yourself, too. But if you're not going to cooperate, I'll have to do it for you."

She frowned, not appreciating his idea that he could 'control' what medications she took.

"You're not my mother, Derek," she said, scowling at him. "You're my husband. There's a big difference there, why don't you learn it?"

He was slightly taken aback by her rudeness, but he smirked coldly, not willing to let it phase him.

"There's also a difference between your husband, and your best friend's brother-in-law, but apparantly you know nothing about loyalty," he replied coldly, frowning. "Although once that god damn paternity test proves that I'm not this kid's father, who knows whether I'll stick around or not."

Her eyes widened as the bitterness slipped away from her quickly, and her face went completely white with fear. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. He could hear her breathing slow down, and he instantly regretted what he had said as he saw her entire body shaking with fear. He hadn't meant to say it. It had just slipped out; he didn't even really mean it. They had made so much progress the night before, and he could feel it all slipping away from him so quickly, now.

"Oh my God..." she whispered, and he was pretty sure that she was close to hyperventilating, probably a combination of pain killers and fear.

"Casey, calm down," he begged her, darting around to her side of the counter, and taking both of her hands in his. "I overreacted, and I'm sorry. Just... please stop crying. I'm begging you. I hate it when I make you cry. I feel like such a jerk when I do this."

He cringed as he watched her shoulders shake, and the tears slip quietly down her face, her sobs silent. She was in so much pain, he knew, and he was also aware of how much she regretted her actions with Ryan. And he absolutely hated it when she cried, because of something he had done. Sure, she'd put him through alot lately, but she was still his girl, and therefore, his responsibility. Besides that, he knew how she had been handling her pain, lately, with painkillers, and he didn't want to be the cause of her turning to them again. He never wanted to be the source of her pain.

"Case, calm down, please," he said, and when she didn't stop crying, he reached out, wrapping his arms around her. She stood up, her arms finding their way around his neck as she cried into his shoulder, absolutely broken. He could've sworn that she'd never been holding onto him this tightly, as though he was a lifeline, to her. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He loved her, more than anything, and because of that, he knew he'd have to stand by her, no matter what the results of this DNA test were. He could leave her, and spend the rest of his life searching for someone even half as amazing as her, and he knew he'd never find anyone. They'd always come in second to Casey. She'd cheated on him, yes, and he knew that he'd never be able to forget that.

But after everything he'd put her through in their relationship, he felt he owed it to her to forgive her, and move on. She loved him, and only him, and he knew that she had learned from this. She didn't want Ryan, she wanted him. She wouldn't be this upset if she didn't.

"It's okay," he murmered, pulling her closer to him, one hand subconciously rubbing her back. "I promise you it's all going to be okay. I love you, that's all that matters. I'm not gonna leave you, I didn't mean that. I mean, you and the kids... you're my whole life; how could I leave that?"

She didn't raise her head, not at all, but she got a few words out, muffled against his shoulder.

"B-Because you _should _leave me," she choked out, sounding disgusted. "Honestly, what are you doing with me? I cheated on you."

He pulled back far enough to reach down and grip her chin, using his other hand to wipe her tears away. They were quickly replaced with fresh ones, and he gave up, wrapping an arm around her again to hold her.

"Do I need to remind you that I cheated on you, a long time ago?" he said, frowning. "Or that I turned into some angry, abusive alcoholic, after Jayden left? Trust me on this, Case, you deserve a break, even if what you did was totally wrong, and messed up."

She wasn't looking to be the least bit comforted, and he frowned, unsure of how to comfort her, anymore.

"What do I have to do to convince you that this will all be okay?" he asked her, his voice a low whisper as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, desperate to make her feel better.

"Baby, answer me." he said, and when she never, he felt anger sweep over him slightly. It annoyed him how easily she could get him to turn from bitter and angry, to a total sap. He hated how she could make him forget what she had done, and feel like he was a monster, and he was the one at fault.

"Fine," he said, shaking his head. "Freeze me out. I'm going upstairs to get ready. Meet me in the car at nine o'clock, and make sure Jayden knows that he's babysitting Kelly for awhile."

"He's asleep," she said, sniffing a little. She rather felt that she cried way too much these days. "He never walked Kayla home until one in the morning."

Derek's eyes shot open, and he felt panic rising in him. As proud as he was of his son for getting the girl he wanted, and as much as he always joked around with him about stuff like that, he really didn't want to be a grandparent before he was thirty three. Besides, he had known Kayla since she was a little girl. He felt some sort of protection over her. He didn't want his son to make any stupid mistakes.

"One in the morning?" he cried, shaking his head. "Is the boy crazy? What the hell were they doing at one in the morning?"

Casey raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this sort of reaction from Derek.

"Watching a movie," she informed him, slightly confused. "I woke up to go to the bathroom around twelve thirty, and I heard the TV on. I thought Jay left it on so I went downstairs, but they were both down there watching something."

"Yeah, because I'm sure that was all they were doing," Derek said, panicking. "Oh God, he's a mini me."

"I wouldn't go that far with it," she said, shaking her head. "She had fallen asleep. She called her mother and let her know she wouldn't be home until after the movie, and that Jayden was walking her home. He didn't want to wake her up right away, so he just waited until the movie was over."

"And you let him go out at one in the morning?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Casey? You know, the overprotective, panicky mother?"

She blushed a little, shrugging.

"I told him to wake me up when he wanted me to give them a ride, but he never did. I went into his room this morning to get his laundry. I kinda woke him up by accident, and I asked why he didn't wake me up. He said he just wanted to spend some more time with her."

Derek was silent for a moment, considering this. Casey knew that she was convincing him, and she smiled a little, looking up at his eyes with a little gleam in her own.

"It's cute," she said, clearly happy about this. "He's such a good boyfriend, already. How come you never did anything like that for me, back when we were in high school?"

Derek snorted, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her, taken aback.

"I dunno, Case. It might have had something to do with the fact... oh, I dunno, we_ lived _together?" he reminded her, and realization swept over her face as she blushed a little. "I mean, if you had wanted me to walk you across the hall all those nights, you could've said something; I promise I wouldn't have complained. I might've called you crazy, and a little high-maintenance, but..."

"Oh, shut up," she said, rolling her eyes as she smacked his shoulder, pushing him away from her gently. "Go get ready."

He smirked, kissing the top of her head. The awkwardness from only a few moments before was completely evaporated, and he loved the feeling of being able to get along with her again. They were slowly getting back on the right track to full recovery of their relationship, and he loved it.

"I'll see you soon," he said, ruffling her hair, and making his way out of the kitchen. He was going to be brave, today. He was going to make the best of this horrible situation, and try to push aside the very idea of Ryan and Casey having a baby together. He tried concentrating on the fact that Casey loved him, and felt nothing for Ryan.

He just hoped that her love would stay as strong if the paternity test revealed that Ryan really was the father of her baby.

- - - -

Derek's resolve to stay strong, and think on the positive side, lasted for a grand total of about an hour and a half. By the time he got into the car, his palms were sweaty, his stomach was sick, and he could sense every negative possibility flashing through his mind. What if the baby was Ryan's, and she left him, for some bullshit about doing the right thing? What if Ryan pressured her to leave, and go with him? Would his kids grow up in Ryan's house. Would Kelly call Ryan her father? The very thought made him want to be sick. His little girl, his princess, calling his one true enemy 'Daddy'. It disgusted him. But even if Casey didn't leave... what would it be like then? Would Ryan ask for custody of the child? He doubted it; Ryan didn't even want anything to do with the daughter he had. Would the baby look like Ryan? Everytime Derek looked at it, would he see those eyes, or that nose, or the shape of Ryan's face? Would he be reminded of Casey's affair everytime he looked into the eyes of what would be his stepson, or stepdaughter? Even the idea of having a stepchild made him sick. Blended families could work; he knew that. But in this case, it would be too screwed up to even bother explaining to anyone, because it was completely out of whack.

But as they sat in the waiting room of the clinic, at around ten after nine that same morning, he tried to tell himself that he should try to believe what Casey was telling him. He should have faith in her when she said she hadn't slept with Ryan.

He didn't hold her hand or anything. He was way too nervous, and distracted, to even attempt to comfort her. She looked scared, and he noticed that she kept glancing around the room at all of the other couples that were sitting around. Most of the guys were holding onto their girl's hand, and here Derek was, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, too concerned with his own problems to worry about hers. He realized that he must look like such an unsupportive asshole, right about now, so he sat up straght, pushing his concerns to the back of his mind.

He placed his hand gently on Casey's inner thigh, gripping gently to get her attention. It was an act of affection, and she looked slightly surprised as she jumped a little, not expecting this.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked her, nodding towards the door, which led to a drugstore. "I can go out and get you something, if you'd like."

She shook her head, returning her gaze to the floor as she leaned back against the back of her chair, looking scared.

"No, I'm fine," she assured him, sounding nervous. He gave her a doubtful look, and she shook her head, forcing out a half smile. "Really, I am. Don't worry about it."

He wasn't completely convinced, and he moved his hand from her leg, slipping his arm across her shoulders, rubbing her back gently.

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. "Because I really don't mind. Whatever you want, I'll go get it for you."

"I don't need anything," she assured him, folding her arms across her chest as she stared down at her shoes. His grip on her tightened, and he felt again how tiny she was. Shifting closer to her, he continued to speak above the dull murmer of conversation throughout the room.

"You're still not eating enough," he decided, and she groaned, tilting her head back in frustration.

"Not this again," she whined, clearly frustrated. "I'm eating just fine, Derek."

"How much do you weigh?" he asked, knowing that she had lost nine pounds total, before he had left. He wanted to know how much she weighed now, because he knew that she couldn't have gained any. She appeared hesitant, and he quickly rushed to add something to his statement.

"Don't lie to me either, because I can get them to check that easily when we go in there. You're not really gaining anything from the baby yet, so it's not going to count."

She blushed, and uncrossed her arms, playing with the wedding band on her finger gently. He noticed that even the ring was slipping off her finger more easily now, and she was able to easily slide it up and down against her finger when she tried, which she was doing now.

"How much have you lost?" he asked again, knowing he had her cornered. She cleared her throat, biting down on her lip so hard that it almost bled.

"Fifteen pounds," she murmered, trying to avoid eye contact as his own eyes widened with shock.

"Fifteen pounds, Casey?" he cried angrily, panicking all of a sudden. A few nearby people turned their heads, and he was quick to lower his voice as he continued. "Jesus... you didn't weigh all that much before. You barely weigh enough to keep yourself healthy, let alone a baby."

She was blushing now, and he sighed, trying to regulate his breathing again.

"It's fine, but this is our game plan. We go in here today and figure out how the baby is doing. I'm sure that doctor is going to tell you to eat more. because I can tell you now that baby is undernourished. It's no wonder you aren't even showing yet. I know it's a little early, but you were showing really early on, with Kelly."

She shrugged, and he sighed, pulling her closer to his side.

"I'm taking you out to dinner tonight, and you're ordering something with meat," he decided, and when she opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand, shaking his head. It was obvious that he was determined to win this one. And they both knew that he was going to get his way, in this situation.

"Don't argue with me, because you're going. In fact, I'm taking you to a buffet. And you're eating as much as I eat. You'll have that weight back in no time."

"Derek,"

"No arguing."

"You eat like... more than my weekly intake, in one meal," she pointed out, shuddering.

He smirked, nodding.

"My point exactly."

She growled with frustration, and was about to retaliate, when the clearing of a throat could be heard from the other side of the room, and they looked up to see the secretary of the clinic standing up, a clipboard tucked against her arm. She looked down at it, squinting through her glasses, and she looked back up at all of the people around the room.

"Venturi?"

He felt her tense up next to him, and he had to admit that even he was nervous, at this point. His life could be completely turned upside down, once they took that test, depending on however long it took them to get their test results. He knew that it could take a week or two to find out. But it would be worth the wait, in about seven months, when he got to hold that baby for the first time. Knowing that it was his baby would just help him confirm what he wanted so badly. He wanted this baby to be his.

He slipped his arm away from his wife's waist, grabbing her hand gently, and squeezing it lightly in his own, for comfort.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, his voice shaking as the woman waited for the two of them.

She shook her head, her eyes meeting with his nervously.

"No."

But the impatient look on the nurse's face snapped some sense into her, and they both stood up, their hands clasped tightly together. They followed the woman down a short hallway, and she nodded towards the door blankly, no emotion playing on her face, or in the tone of her voice, as she spoke.

"Someone will be in soon," was all she said, before pushing the door open, and sauntering off down the hallway. Derek looked down at Casey, who was studying him fearfully. He could sense that there was something on her mind, and he dropped her hand to take her face in his hands, his fingers brushing against her cheeks softly.

"What is it?" he whispered, shaking his head. "Why are you so nervous? If you're really telling me the truth-"

"Promise me something," she said, taking in a shaky breath as she stared him in the eye, her hands resting flat against his chest. He waited, and she went on, looking desperate.

"I need you to promise me that, no matter what the results of this test are, you'll stay with me," she pleaded, and he felt himself tense slightly as she looked into his eyes desperately. "I need you to swear to me that you're not going to leave me."

He stared into her eyes, searching for some truth there. Why did she need reassurance, if she hadn't really slept with Ryan? None of this made sense to him, and in all honesty, he was afraid to promise her something like that. He had no idea how he would react, if the test results didn't come out the way he had hoped. He could try and imagine it, but he actually had no idea what he would do.

But there was so much fear in her eyes as she held onto him, as though he was her last hope.

And maybe he was.

"Promise me," she whispered, shaking her head. "I need to know..."

Derek had made alot of stupid decisions in his life. But he knew from experience that making promises he wasn't sure he could keep was not a good idea, especially when it came to Casey. She was always quick to point out broken promises.

But something in her eyes got to him, and he found himself nodding, drawing in a deep breath.

"I promise," he said, already hating himself for making a decision so quickly. "I love you, and... whatever happens, I'll be with you."

Relief washed over her features, and she buried her face against his chest, smiling softly as she dropped her hands from his chest, and hugged him tightly, with so much relief that he could feel it glowing off of her.

"That's all I needed to hear," she said, nodding her head before she pulled back, taking his hand. "Come on. Let's go get this over with."

He knew that she was right. It was time to get this out of the way. It had been a long time coming.

* * *

**The results are in the next chapter, along with a little bit of Ryan (oh I know- I'm awful). Next chapter basically ties up all of the plot lines... and yes, that includes Jeff's conflict. So if you want me to post, review please!**


	30. Let Go

**Thanks for the awesome feedback on the last chapter, not to mention throughout the rest of the story. You guys are amazing. This chapter may be a little OOC, but emotion was neeeded, and of course, I always write them like that. But you never know what they're going to be like as adults, not to mention parents, so who knows. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Thirty: Let Go**

Derek's nerves were running thin. It had been a very, very long week and a half of waiting, since they had gotten the paternity test done. He knew that it could often take awhile to be completed accurately. And he wanted it to be as accurate as possible. The doctor that had done them test for them had assured the two of them that their results would be about ninety-nine percent accurate, if done properly. Derek had insisted that things be processed as carefully as possible, to avoid any mistake in the end results. The doctor had informed them that it would take a week and a half, to three weeks, for the results to be ready, depending on how busy their lab was. He had held out for the first couple of days, but by now, he was just frustrated with this. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now, whether he sounded like a cranky toddler or not.

Him and Casey were actually on good terms, and they were slowly getting back to the stability they had maintained before the whole affair had been revealed. They were, essentially, together. He always told her he loved her, and she would say it right back. They slept in the same bed together every single night. He would always be holding her hand, or giving her little kisses on the forehead, or cheek. But they hadn't shared a real kiss since before he ran off. And that meant it had been longer than a month. Casey knew that Derek had promised to stay with her, but she had a feeling that he was waiting on the results, to know for sure how he was going to react. Something told her that Derek even possessed the ability to break his promise, on this matter, and leave her anyway.

But she chose to have faith in him, and in their test results. She already knew what this test would say, and she had prepared herself long ago for the results.

Jayden had only gone back to school the day before, but Cameron was still off, considering his punishment had been longer than his ex-friend's. Jayden and Kayla were working out to be the best thing that had ever happened to Jayden. Even during his suspension, he had walked to the school every single day to walk with her back to the Venturi's house, since that was where they typically hung out. She couldn't come over on Mondays and Thursdays, because she had soccer practices, and Jayden's school soccer team would be starting up again soon, too. Derek always found it annoying that the school's season began right as the summer league ended. After soccer, there was always hockey, and Derek was pretty sure that Jayden would be picking up basketball, in the spring. It was going to be a hard year, with Jayden balancing his schoolwork, his sports, and now, a girlfriend. But he was completely happy, even if Cameron hadn't so much as called him since the fight.

Derek had been doing alot of thinking about Jeff. They tried to get to the hospital to see him at least once a day. It was hard sometimes, with both of them working, and trying to get Jayden and Kelly to school and back. But they always made a point of visiting, even if it was only for five minutes. Life was precious, and they both knew that they needed to enjoy what little time they could spend with their unresponsive son. It was hitting near the four and a half month mark. They were well over a third of a year without him, and when he put it in that perspective, he began to wonder if maybe Casey was right. Maybe taking the pain away would be the best thing.

He sighed, shaking his head to pull himself out of his trance. He couldn't be thinking about that sort of possibility. He didn't even want to imagine having to make that decision.

But Jeff was showing no improvement.

He glanced down at his cellphone as he propped his feet up on the coffee table, using the remote beside him to turn the TV off. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon. Jayden was out with Kayla, Kelly was at their parent's house, and Casey had gone out about an hour before, saying that she had to get something done. He'd wanted to come with her, but she had refused to let him come. It had taken a half an hour, but he had given up, eventually, knowing that Casey was not a force to be reckoned with.

"Come on, Case," he mumbled, tilting his head back against the couch. "Come back, I'm freakin' bored."

Silence echoed throughout the house, and he glared down at his cellphone, disgusted.

"Traitor," he muttered, wishing someone would call him. "Even if I had one measly call I'd be happy. Go on, ring! I feel like some ninth grade math nerd waiting to get invited to a prom, twenty minutes before it happens. Come on, _ring!_"

He was cut off by the feeling of his phone vibrating in his palm, and the sound of his ringtone echoing through the room. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and his face paled.

"Freaky," he said, staring at the ringing cellphone. "Maybe I'm like... related to Harry Potter, or some cool shit like that."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I've gotta stop hanging around when Jayden and Kayla are watching those movies," he said, referring the rainy Saturday that they had decided to sit through all of the movies. He hadn't looked at a broom the same ever since.

He flipped the phone open, and raised it to his ear, sighing.

"Hello?"

"Is this Derek Venturi?"

Derek sat up a little straighter. He recognized that cranky, old voice.

"Yes, and is this that impatient, crooked, lady from the clinic?" he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he realized what he had said. He winced, closing his eyes as he realized what he had done, and he grinned sheepishly as he mentally slapped himself through the silence.

"I mean... hello?" he tried again, and he heard an impatient huff on the other end, before the woman spoke up again, sounding extremely angry with him.

"I'm just calling on behalf of your doctor to let you know that your results are in," she said, her voice annoyed and frustrated. "You can come down here to discuss them with Dr.Flynn, or you can just pick your file up here. Our office hours are-"

"I'll be right there."

Without another word, he had flipped the cellphone shut, and he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch, nearly falling over with excitement as he rushed towards the door. His fate was sealed in that little file that she spoke of. And it was time for him to see what his future held.

- - - -

"I still don't get why you came here."

Casey paced back and forth in front of Ryan's couch, running a hand through her hair.

"It's so complicated," she said, shaking her head. "I just feel like me and you never had closure, and this should be it. I need to... just... tell you how I feel about all of this, right here, right now. It'd be best for both of us if we had a bit of closure on everything that happened."

"Clearly, you've already found it," he said, sounding hurt as he looked down at the floor, shaking his head. "It's okay, you love Derek. I get that."

Casey took a seat on the edge of Ryan's coffee table, making sure that she distanced herself a good foot or so away from him. She didn't want him to get any mixed signals, this time around.

"We never should have started this," she said, sighing as she laced her fingers together in front of her. "I had to come here today, because the last time we talked, there was so much we never sorted out. So I think you should know where you and I stand, from my perspective. It might make it easier for you to move on, because you're right; I already have."

He was silent for a moment, and his eyes were a mixture of hurt and confusion as he looked up at her, slightly fearful. She knew that he wasn't going to say anything else, so she sighed, and took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell her side of the story, to set the rules down for Ryan, and show him where they belonged.

"I think you should go back to your daughter," she said, and he looked up at her, absolutely shocked. His mouth was open slightly, forming a little 'o' shape, and it was obvious that this was not what he had expected from her at all. He had probably expected her to tell him that they weren't going to be able to hang out with each other anymore, and they weren't going to be talking again. Honestly, he had expected anything but this, from her.

"My daughter?" Ryan asked, shaking his head. "What does Amy have to do with this?"

Casey shrugged, sitting up a little straighter as she responded.

"You deserve to know your daughter," she told him, completely honest. "And what's more, she deserves to know you."

Ryan snorted, looking away as though the idea was nothing to him, but Casey caught the tiniest hint of remorse and sadness in his voice, and she knew. She knew that he felt something for his daughter. Maybe he tried to hide it, and maybe it was unknown even to him. But she was a parent, and she knew that the sadness in his voice was associated with not knowing his daughter. She had sort of felt the same way over the past few months, without Jeff. It was different, of course, since Jeff being in a coma didn't mean that she didn't know him- it just meant that he didn't have the ability to react anymore. She could sit there for hours on end, holding his hand, and he might never know she was there.

She cringed at the thought, and looked back up at Ryan as he shook his head, not looking her in the eye.

"She's never even met me," he said, shrugging as though none of this really mattered to him, even though they both knew it did. "She probably doesn't even know I exsist."

Casey sighed, reaching out to tilt his chin upwards. He looked up at her, his expression pained, and she was relieved when she felt nothing but sympathy and friendship for him, when she looked him straight in the eye. The feelings were completely gone, and she had never been so relieved. She would feel like such a horrible person if she still liked Ryan, after all of this.

"Every little girl wants to know her father," she said, knowing it was true. "If you saw Derek with Kelly..."

"I have," he said quietly, blushing. "Me and Cole and Kallie were at the mall one time, and we saw you guys. Do you remember Cole going over to talk to you?"

Casey thought back, trying to remember seeing Cole at the mall. She remembered a time, about halfway through the summer, when she had been out with Kelly, Jayden, and Derek, shopping for some new soccer cleats for Jayden, and some new sneakers for Kelly. Cole had come over to talk to them, and she had seen Ryan standing with Kallie, out of the corner of her eye. They had been in the middle of their little affair, by then, and Ryan had known better than to come anywhere near them.

"That time you and Kallie were in the music store?" she asked, and he nodded quickly. "Yeah, I remember that."

Ryan nodded, running a hand through his hair as Casey adjusted the collar of her black and grey jean jacket, listening carefully to Ryan.

"Well, you were off with Jayden- kid's got a mean swing by the way," he put in, and when Casey's face screwed up with confusion, he shook his head, holding up a hand to stop her from responding. "-never mind; it doesn't matter. Point is, I saw the way Derek interacted with Kelly. It was like they were off in their own little world, and nothing could make them think bad of each other."

Casey couldn't help but smile softly as her hands tangled together between her knees. She nodded her head, gentle laughter escaping her lips.

"Yeah, that's the way they are," she noted, shrugging. She caught the envious look in his eye, and smiled at him, trying to grab his attention. "You could have that too, you know. You've got a daughter, and kids are very influenced by their parents. I gaurantee you that your daughter won't give a damn whether or not you've been there for the first three years of her life. She's a toddler; she's not going to care. You don't need to worry about making a good impression on her."

Ryan shrugged, still not entirely convinced.

"Her mother probably hates me, though," he reminded her, laughing coldly. "My fault, I guess. I sort of wrecked her marriage... er, twice. She got divorced again this month, or so Cole tells me. Apparantly her ex-husband showed up, and informed her new husband about her little affair with me. Whatever way he explained it, he made it seem like the cheating was still going on when she remarried, and... well, once they started fighting, they didn't stop. The divorce was finalized two weeks ago."

Casey pressed her free hand to her temple, rubbing firmly to try and relieve some of the stress that was building up, giving her a headache.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said, shaking her head. "But you need to get to know Amy. I think having your daughter in your life could really be good for you. I've seen the way you are with Kevin and Maddie, and they're just your niece and nephew."

"That's just... that's different," he said, shrugging. "Amy, she... she's... she sounds amazing. She looks like me, which I kind of like. Her mother says she likes being read to, and she goes to the tot-swim every week. I wish I could be there for all of that, you know? I hate having to hear her interests from other people."

Casey was silent for a moment, and she frowned, confused.

"I thought you didn't even know her name, until like a month ago?" she questioned, curious as to how he knew so much. When he merely gave a gentle laugh, and shrugged, she understood.

"I've known everything, right from day one," he admitted, and her eyes widened slightly with surprise. "Cole and Kallie don't know it- no one does, but I talk to her Mom all the time- Mel, that is. We talk at least once every week."

Casey was completely speechless, and all she could do was stare at Ryan in awe, shocked by the words that had just left his mouth. Derek had told her that Ryan hadn't spoken to Melanie since he had called her a whore, and refused to come back. She had thought of Ryan as a bit of an asshole, then, but had quickly shoved it away, deciding that it wasnt relevant to her.

But now, to think that it wasn't true, that he wasn't as big of a jerk as he had been framed as, well... it was a bit of a reief. Even if it made no sense.

She tried her best to not look too confused as she shook her head, closing her mouth and frowning.

"But Derek said-"

"I can pretty much figure out what Derek said, and as much as I thought I'd never say this, you should listen to him," Ryan said carelessly. "What he told you was what Cole told him, and what Cole told him was what me and Mel have been faking all along."

A sick thought occured to Casey, and she fought back her suspicions, deciding to voice them so that he could shoot them down, and put her mind at rest.

"Ryan, you weren't actually with her during her second marriage, were you?" she asked, praying he'd say no. "Because I've got to tell you, that's a bit much. To break up a woman's marriage twice? Come on."

Ryan shook his head quickly, signalling that she was wrong, and that she had the wrong idea about him and Melanie.

"I haven't so much as kissed her since the last night we were together, before her husband found out," he informed her, and for whatever reason, she found that she actually believed him. "I've seen her, but it was only like... important stuff. She'd meet with me and give me pictures of Amy, and anything else she felt I should have. It was just little stuff, and it was mostly just an excuse to hang out. It was never romantic, though, and I've never met my daughter."

Casey pressed her hands up against her face, completely lost.

"I'm so confused," she murmered, wanting this day to end. "What happened to all of that stuff you apparantly said to Mel? Was that all lies, or..."

"No, it was true," he said, blushing. "I... I did say all of that to her, and we didn't talk for the longest time. But I started regretting it more and more, and by the time she was a week away from her due date, I kept calling her, and begging her to give me another chance. She kept answering, and telling me she wanted nothing to do with me. She'd just hang up after that, and I'd just know to try again the next night. But then one night, she didn't answer, and I knew she had gone to hospital to have Amy."

Casey propped her elbows up on her knees, chin in her hands.

"What did you do?" she asked, completely interested in his story.

He leaned back against the couch, enjoying the fact that someone was listening to what he had to say for once. He had never told this story to anyone, but he trusted Casey.

"I went to three different hospitals before I found the one she was at," he said, sighing. "I found her room, and I went up to see her, and... and..."

If there was one thing Casey absolutely hated, it was when someone was in the middle of telling a very interesting story, and then stopped, or paused for a significant amount of time. It drove her absolutely insane. And today was no different.

"And what?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly. "You can't just stop there! What happened?"

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. There was so much pain in his eyes that she wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but she knew that was definitely not a good idea. Experience had taught her that Ryan read signals incorrectly very often, and she didn't want another mixup occuring. Although there was just something different about Ryan right now, like he knew what he was doing, he knew right from wrong, and he knew that Casey was out of bounds.

And the expression on his face was one of absolute heartbreak as he spoke up again.

"I got to her door, and she was back onto me, holding onto Amy. I couldn't even see the baby, just the bundle. I wanted so badly to go over and tell her how sorry I was for hurting her, and how much I wanted to be able to have everything work out between us."

Casey had never seen this side of Ryan before. It was a side that cared about someone other than himself, a side that really seemed to want to belong to his family, to be with Melanie, and raise his daughter properly.

"I loved her, Casey," he admitted, and an invisible wall between the two of them came crashing down, crumbling beneath them. "I did. She was the first girl I actually loved, and I blew it. I had the chance to be with her, when she told me she was pregnant, and I completely shoved her out of my life. Now, I'm settling for friendship, and that's the most I'm ever going to get from her. She only bothers with me now because I think she's too scared to let go, too. We're not together, but... I like to think that maybe she still needs me in her life."

Casey was staring at him, completely amazed. The idea of Ryan actually loving someone was so crazy, it actually confused her. The player, the guy who was known for wrecking marriages, had fallen in love?

"Even when we were together, while she was still married to the first guy... it wasn't physical, like me and you were. It was real. She told me after that she regrets buying all my sweet talk, but to be honest, I meant everything I told her. She means more to me than anyone else."

Casey frowned a little as she rested her chin in her hands, trying her best to come up with something to say to someone who had just blew her away, and completely taken her by surprise.

"So why don't you tell her all of that?" she suggested, shrugging. "If she still has feelings for you-"

"She was married again," he reminded her, laughing gently. "That's the rest of my story. When I went up to the hospital room that night, I saw her there with him, and I saw the engagement ring on her finger. He loved her, and I knew it. He could be a father to Amy, and he'd treat her good."

"So could you, if you got your act together a little bit," Casey told him, as nicely as possible. "You really are a nice guy, when you show your good side. You could've made her happy."

He shook his head, sighing.

"She got married," he stated again, as though that was all that mattered. It was clear that this one fact was sticking out in his head above all others. "She moved on from me."

Casey's face scrunched up slightly, and she found herself growing more confused by the second.

"But you said that she's holding onto-"

"I know what I said, and I meant it," he said, shrugging. "But I think it's just something I try to convince myself of. It's all that makes sense, to me. I don't want to hurt her, and I think if we get together, I will. And I don't want to get close to her, or to my daughter, if I'm going to hurt either one of them in the end."

Casey felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see her husband's cell phone number displayed on the screen. She sighed, looking back up at Ryan.

"That's Derek," she said, sighing. "Just be quiet for a second, okay?"

Ryan's eyes widened slightly, and she could see some of the color draining from his features quickly as he tensed.

"You mean he doesn't know you're here?" he asked, and when she shook her head, he groaned, tilting his head back against the couch.

Casey ignored him, and pressed the Talk button on her phone.

"Hey," she said, her voice cheerful. "What's up?"

"I'm getting a ride home with Sam- since you took the car- and guess what I've got?" he said, sounding happy. She could hear the excitement in his voice.

She leaned back, running a hand through her hair as she watched Ryan play with the ends of his sleeve aimlessly, clearly bored.

"I have no idea," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Something good, I'm guessing?"

"I hope so," he replied, sounding alarmingly positive. "It's the results of the paternity test."

Casey sat up straighter, interested. Finally, an end to all of this fighting and mistrust. Finally, a chance for their family to have some peace, and some closure on this ugly mess.

"Have you opened it yet?" she asked, noticing that he sounded awfully happy. "Do you know what it says?"

"I'm waiting for you," he explained, sounding like a little boy on Christmas Eve. "So hurry up and get home, would you? I just want to get all of this out of the way as soon as possible. So where are you? Are you on your way home?"

"I'll be there soon," she said quickly, not wanting to answer his real question. He would completely lose it if he found out that she was with Ryan. She knew that she would lose every ounce of trust that she had managed to gain back, over the past week and a half. She had known all along that it was a risk coming to see Ryan, but for her, this was the final part of her closure on this mess.

"See you soon; I love you," she said, and she could've sworn that her heart soared happily when he replied with;

"Okay baby, love you too."

She smiled, grabbing her purse off of the floor next to her feet, and tossing her cellphone into it.

"I've gotta go," she said, as she rushed to zip up her jacket. "Derek's on his way home, and he needs me to meet him there. It's really important."

Ryan pushed himself up off of the couch, concern in his eyes as he scanned her quickly, obviously wondering if something was going on.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, and Casey had to hesitate, because he was acting more real than she had ever seen him act before. She stared at him for a moment, before nodding her head, smiling a little.

"Everything's fine," she said, as she stood up, and adjusted the collar of her jacket. "It's perfect, actually. I'm really glad we had this talk. I think it's going to do us both alot of good, in the long run."

He nodded, offering her a half smile, his hands finding their way to his pockets.

"Me too," he agreed honestly, sounding relieved. "I want you to know that I'm really sorry for everything that happened with Derek. If you need to be friends, I'm okay with that. I think I was so set on making you stay with me, because you remind me so much of Melanie. You're both over-achieving, beautiful, funny, and kind parents, and you both know how to call me on my bullshit. But I think I need to learn that you're not Mel."

She smiled, and took a step forwards, extending her arms for a hug. He looked surprised, but he hugged her eagerly, smiling when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're going to find someone for you," she assured him, sighing. "Me and you can only be friends, and that's all I want us to be. Derek really is the only man for me. And maybe Mel's the girl for you."

"Maybe," he murmered, enjoying the feeling of someone actually feeling confident in him, and caring about him.

She pulled back, one arm still around his neck as she gave him a little half smile, brushing her free hand against his cheek gently.

"Go home and get to know your daughter. Apologize to Melanie. Make things right- like me and Derek are doing."

He managed to turn the corners of his lips upwards into a gentle smile, and he nodded, knowing that she was only interested in what was best for him.

"I'll try my hardest," he assured her, and without another word, she kissed him on the cheek, and pulled away.

"Good luck," was all she said, before grabbing her purse, and making her way out the door, leaving a very speechless, and very confused Ryan behind.

He had alot of thinking to do.

- - - -

Casey got home about twenty minutes later, around the time it was getting dark out. She pulled into the driveway, and shut off the engine, leaning her head back against the headrest. She was so stressed out. She had gotten a message from Derek, when she had been about halfway home, saying that Sam had just dropped him off, and he would be waiting at home for her, before he opened them. He said he thought it was best if they did this together. She wasn't worried. She had known all along what that test would say. But she was terrified that this would not fix the problems in their relationship. Maybe things were too screwed up to fix, by now.

But she forced herself to swallow back all of her fears, and she got out of the car, making her way into the house. She had just gotten in through the door to the living room, when she was grabbed by the arm, and she could feel herself being pulled towards the couch. Before she could say anything, Derek had sat her down on the couch, and a yellow envelope landed gently in her lap as he fell onto the couch next to her, grinning.

"Voila," he said, miraculously not sounding at all nervous. "Our future... is in that envelope."

She laughed gently, picking up the envelope, and running her fingers along the edges of the smooth material.

"Our future is a yellow manila envelope?" she chuckled, amused. "Could you have gone any cheaper, Derek?"

"Hey, blame the clinic, they gave it to me," he said, shrugging as he grinned at her. "Open it up. C'mon!"

Casey tilted her head to look at Derek, and the smile did not fade, though it became slightly puzzled, and curious.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked, shaking her head gently from side to side. "You've been teetering somewhere between disbelief and trust for the past week and a half, and now you're excited about this? Why? What happened when I was gone out?"

He shrugged, clapping his hands together as he leaned back, at a loss for words for a moment.

"Nothing happened, I just... I want this out of the way, you know?" he said, the smile fading a little as he explained himself. "I want to know whether or not I'm going to be a father again, so I can... you know, help you with all that interesting stuff. Name choosing, and painting, and getting a room ready..."

Casey frowned, and she let the envelope drop to her lap again as she laughed, shaking her head.

"Derek, you say yes to every single name I say, you follow along behind me when we go shopping, whining that you're bored, and the last time you helped me paint, I wound up with a yellow arm for about a week. That stuff doesn't come off easy you know."

Derek shrugged, a mischevious little smirk playing on his lips.

"I wanted to see if we could paint you _to_ the wall," he expressed innocently, a cute little twinkle in his eyes. "It was never my intention to turn you yellow. And besides, me and Jay both apologized."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, picking up the envelope as she slowly tore along the top, at the seal of it. "I am so going solo on this whole _planning _thing, this time."

Derek shook his head, his hand gripping her knee gently.

"Nuh-uh," he murmered, taking her free hand, and pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist, pulling her closer to him. She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing another kiss to the edge of her shoulder.

"This will probably be the last baby we'll have, and you know that," he reminded her, and she nodded, smiling a little. "We've gotta make it count. And that means I'm helping you out this time."

Casey snorted, rolling her eyes as she continued to rip the envelope open slowly.

"You, helping," she noted, shaking her head. "Yeah, that's never gonna happen, but thanks for the offer. I'll just skip looking like a dandelion for a week, and, you know, open up these results."

Sighing, she held the results up to read them, and even with his arms wrapped around her, she had the paper held at an angle in which he could not read the words.

"What does it say?" he asked, feeling some of his confidence slipping away as her eyes scanned through the lines one by one. She was chewing on her bottom lip nervously, reading through the information printed on the sheet. She was going slow to annoy him now, he was almost certain of it.

"Come on," he begged her, no longer smiling. "I've been through enough, Casey. Is it my baby, or not?"

She finished reading it, and she stared at the paper for a moment, before holding it face down against her chest, still biting her lip. She gave him an anxious look, her expression unreadable as she released her lip, and squinted at him, as though trying to search for some hint of honesty in his features.

"We'll be okay, either way, right?" she questioned, her eyes searching his questioningly as he waited nervously for a response. "You're not going to leave me, even if it's not yours?"

He hesitated, but shook his head. He had made a promise to her, and he knew that it would kill her for him to go back on it now. But his heart was beating madly in his chest, and every ounce of hope he had felt over the past week and a half instantly drained from his body, and his face went pale. If she was asking for reassurance, even after reading the results...

"It's Ryan's baby, isn't it?" he asked, bowing his head as his grip on her loosened. When she didn't answer, he pressed his forehead against her upper arm, shielding his eyes from her view. He didn't want her to see how upset he was over this.

"I guess I'd better tell Ryan congratulations, then," he said, his voice harsh and quivering. "So what are you gonna name it, Case? Ryan Junior, RJ for short? Nice name. Hope you guys make one big happy family. Maybe you can be honest with him, 'cause you sure weren't with me."

Heartbroken, he untangled himself from her, and he stood up, nearly falling over as his blurred vision got in his way of a proper dramatic exit. He could feel his heart shattering into about fifty thousand pieces, and nothing had ever felt this painful. Not even overhearing Casey and Ryan that day could overpower this. This was real pain.

He had only stumbled about a foot away from the couch, when he felt a hand close around his wrist, and haul him back down to the couch. He fell down next to her, and before he had a chance to question her actions, her arms had wrapped around his neck, the papers dangling aimlessly from her hand behind his neck. He felt himself being pressed down against the couch as her lips pressed against his. He made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, but placed his hands on her hips, eagerly kissing her back for the first time in over a month. He had forgotten how good it felt to kiss Casey, and he felt some of the hurt he was feeling inside ebb away a tiny bit, in light of her kiss. He had forgotten why he was mad, if only for a moment, but he came to his senses when she pulled back, grinning at him.

"Who's gonna tell Kelly she's gonna be a big sister?" she murmered, her eyes sparkling with joy as she smiled like an idiot. Her face was bright with happiness, and he could've sworn that he hadn't seen her this happy since before Jeff got hurt. In fact, he knew he hadn't.

But the only coherant thought that was running through his mind were her words. His eyes had gone wide, and his heart was beating about a million miles a minute as he stared at her, barely daring to believe it.

"You mean..." he started, voice shaking with excitement.

She nodded, kissing his forehead.

"I told you I wasn't lying!"

He hesitated for only another moment, before reaching up, and snatching the piece of paper quickly from her hands. He held them next to her head as he read through the the results that were printed across the page, and his eyes widened as he saw that she was being absolutely honest. This baby was his. He was going to be a father again, and nothing in the world could have made him happier.

"Oh God," he got out, shaking his head as the paper fell onto the floor next to him. He looked back up at Casey, who was still lying gently on top of him. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

Hope flickered through her eyes, and she gripped him a little tighter, clearly surprised.

"You mean you really believe me?" she asked, taken aback. "You're not going to keep accusing me of sleeping with him. This is done and over with?"

He nodded, kissing her forehead gently. He couldn't even think straight, he was that happy.

"It's done, it's over," he assured her, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. "I believe you."

"Really?" she choked out, amazed at the idea that she was being vindicated of her wrongs; she was being given another shot at being loyal.

"Promise you mean it?" she asked, desperate for some sense of reassurance. She couldn't handle it if this was his idea of some sick joke. "Please say you're telling me the truth."

He nodded, smiling as he combed his fingers through her hair, examining every inch of the girl on top of him, reminding himself how much he loved her.

"I promise you that I'm not lying," he said, being completely honest. A thought occured to him, and the smile faded slightly as worry swept over him. "Just one question though."

She nodded, relieved.

"Anything," she said, laughing gently. Any answer he wanted, he could have. She was just so grateful, right now. How had she ever found an amazing guy like this?

He took a deep breath, looking her right in the eye.

"If you were telling the truth all along, why were you so nervous?" he asked, shaking his head. "Why did you make me promise you not to leave, if you knew the results all along?"

She shrugged, knowing her answer to this already. She had figured that he might ask something like this, and she was fully ready for it.

"I just wanted to be sure, that you weren't just staying for the baby," she said, shrugging. "I wanted proof that you were staying because you wanted to work things out, and that this baby wouldn't change how you felt about me. I wanted to know that you would do whatever it took for the both of us to be happy."

He was smiling, and she laughed, swatting the end of his nose with her fingertip playfully.

"And you passed," she noted, giggling when he grimaced at her. "We're going to be parents again. Isn't that just so amazing, Derek?"

He nodded, smiling to himself as he stared off into space. His eyes were focused on her, but his thoughts were only of their youngest son, lying in hospital, just like he had been for months, now. The smile faded quickly, and he felt an icy feeling wash over him as realization hit him. What Casey had just said had really triggered something inside of him. She had wanted proof that he loved her unconditionally, and that he would put her happiness, and his own, before his hatred for Ryan, and his bitterness over the affair. Maybe what Casey had said during the summer had sort of been like that. Maybe it was time that he put Jeff's best interests before his own, and really learned to let go. If he looked at it from the same perspective as the doctors- if he completely removed himself from the situation at hand- he could see why they wanted to take him off life support. This was a lost cause. Jeff wasn't waking up, he wasn't improving. All he was doing- as cruel as it sounded- was taking up much needed space and money in that hospital; things that could help other sick children, ones that actually stood a chance. It was only his personal attachment to Jeff keeping him from doing the right thing. And that really wasn't right at all.

Casey was thinking somewhere along the same thought train, and she gave him a sad smile, shaking her head.

"Jeff would be so happy, even if he'd pretend to be annoyed," she laughed gently, nostalgia washing over her as she longed for the times when their family had been whole, uncorrupted and amazing.

"It's a far shot, but I hope he wakes up before then," she said, her voice completely doubtful. "I want him to be there when his little brother or sister comes into the world. I want all. the kids to be able to be at the hospital then, and not as a patient."

Derek was still silent, and he drew in a shaky breath, biting his lip.

There were always those moments in life when you just knew what the right thing was. And right now, that right choice was staring him right in the eye; and he was finally ready to face it.

"Casey," he said softly, his hands lacing with hers gently as he shifted so that he was sitting up against the arm of the couch, Casey resting gently in his lap. "I've been doing alot of thinking lately, and I feel like... I just think..."

"What is it, Derek?" she whispered, her voice quiet as she rubbed her thumb along the inside of his wrist, comforting him. "Go on; you can tell me."

Drawing in a deep breath, and reminding himself that this had to be done, he let it all out.

"I think it may be time to... to say goodbye," he said, his voice shaking. Her hands tightened around his, and he could feel her breaking down, but he knew that it was best for both of them if he just got it all out now. Avoiding eye contact, he went on, not stopping for even a moment.

"It's been over four months now, and it's getting pointless to be hopeful," he said, shrugging. "I love Jeff- we all do- but like you said... sometimes you've gotta put the people you love before you. And I don't think Jeff deserves to live such a cruel life, anymore. His exsistance is just getting bleaker everyday, and I don't want him in anymore pain."

Casey's eyes were a mixture of pain and relief as she shook her head, trying not to let the tears behind her eyelids slip out.

"Derek," she tried, but he shifted his hold on one of her hands so that he could feel her flat stomach, where they both knew would soon start showing the signs of carrying a child.

"He's never gonna be completely gone," he whispered, his heart breaking. "He'll always in our memories, and we both know we'll never forget him. And when this little guy... or girl, grows up... they can learn all about the big brother they never knew. We both know he's never gonna be far from our minds, right?"

She nodded, and even though her eyes were squeezed shut, there were tears slipping down her face quickly. Tears of realization- because she knew it was time to let go.

"It's going to be so hard to... to..." she stammered, but shook her head, unable to finish. "Oh God... I can't even say it."

"Just keep in mind... he knows you love him. He knows his Mom only wants what's best for him."

She nodded, and buried her face against Derek's shoulder as she slowly began to realize that they were going to do this. They were really going to end all of this horrible pain for their son.

Derek could feel her shaking against him as she cried, and he closed his eyes tightly, hugging her close to him. It was Casey that was going to get him through this, and he knew it. They were going to need alot of support from one another to get through a big decision like this.

"I'll make the call to the hospital tonight," he said, knowing that neither of them needed to argue about this, because deep down, they both knew what was best. They both knew that, to really show their love for Jeff, they had to put his best interests before their own.

She nodded against his shoulder, sniffing.

"I can't promise to be strong," she whispered, just loud enough so he could hear her. "I'm not going to handle this well."

"Me neither," he admitted, shaking his head. "But I'm gonna be here for you. You've got me; you've always got me."

"I know," she acknowledged, her voice a strangled attempt at bravery. "It's gonna be hard. But maybe we can get through it, together."

"Only if I have you," he murmered, and they fell into a silence that seemed to ring throughout the entire house, seeping through the walls that had once been filled with a child's laughter, and a happy family. Walls that now knew nothing but shattered hopes, pain, and oddly enough, a bond strong enough to rise above all of the misfortune, and survive against the constant challenges it faced.

* * *

**Um, review? **


	31. Time for Goodbye

**This chapter is a bit short, but enjoy anyway. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Thirty-One: Time for Goodbye**

Derek woke up the next morning, his eyes stinging with fatigue, his body screaming at him to go back to sleep. Well, to go to sleep period. He wouldn't call what he had done the night before sleeping, because he had slept for about a grand total of an hour, added together. He had woken up about three times to go to the bathroom, or go downstairs to get a glass of water. This had incidentally led to yet another bathroom break, of course. He had been woken up at around four by Casey getting up to use the washroom, and by the time he was woken up by the sound of a car horn outside on the street somewhere, he decided that it would just be best to stay awake.

He turned over in his spot, to find that Casey was also awake, lying on her back as she stared up at the ceiling.

He sighed, rolling onto his side and propping his head up against his hand gently.

"Tell me it was all a dream," he begged of her, breaking the silence in the room. "Tell me that when I get up, Jeff will be in his room, and it won't even be summer yet, and we can fix all of this."

She sighed, shaking her head gently at him, sadness reflected in her own eyes.

"I wish I could tell you that," she admitted, shrugging. "I'd be lying, though."

He sighed, blowing out an impatient breath as he flopped down onto his back again. His hands tangled through his hair, but at the next second, he felt Casey's chest pressed against his own as she rolled over on top of him softly, smiling at him as best as she could. She reached up, lifting his hands away from his hair as she took over the job of tangling her fingers through the brown strands. She wrapped one easily around her pointer finger, sighing. Her eyes were distant as she thought about everything that had happened yesterday. They had made the decision to put Jeff to rest. That had been the toughest decision that she would ever make in her life. At least, she hoped it would be. She didn't think she could handle any worse than that.

And Ryan. She had felt okay with everything lately, but for some reason, she now felt incredibly guilty about not telling Derek where she had really gone the day before. That was how this whole affair had started- with her keeping secrets. Would telling him be the right thing to do? She knew it would be, just so that everything would be out in the open, but she was scared that he would be mad at her. She had just gotten him back, the last tihng she needed was to lose him again.

He noticed her obvious internal conflict, and frowned, looking up at her with concern.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his hands gripping her arms gently, and rising up to cup her face carefully in his hands. "You seem worried about something."

She bit her lip, thinking hard as she stared down at his chest.

"We're being completely honest with each other now, right?" she asked, frowning as she struggled to find the confidence it would take to admit to something like this. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, if she hadn't of had a stupid affair in the first place. But hanging out with Ryan was definitely not on Derek's list of desired activities, for his wife.

He nodded, looking slightly worried.

"Is there anything you have to tell me?" he asked her, his hand brushing against her cheek softly, as he looked her in the eye. "Being completely honest, remember?"

She winced slightly, drawing in a deep breath.

"Right," she said, nodding her head. She prepared herself for the worst as she looked up at him. "Well I've only got one thing to tell you, but you've gotta promise you won't get mad."

He looked worried, but he nodded his head, kissing her hand softly to reassure her that everything would be alright.

"I'm not going to get mad," he said, sighing. "We've been through enough, and I just want you to be honest with me. So if there's any secrets you're keeping from me, you tell me now. If you put everything out there right now, I promise you I'll look the other way, and forgive you. We can start over, clean slate. But if I find out, after today, that you've lied to me, I'm not going to be as forgiving."

She sighed, gathering up all of her courage as she locked both of her hands around Derek's, looking down at his chest to avoid eye contact.

"When I went out yesterday, I went to go see Ryan," she admitted, feeling as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. His hands tensed in hers, and she squeezed them gently, trying to calm him down before he completely freaked at her. She knew that he was probably going to be upset, so she rushed to explain herself.

"It was nothing bad, I promise you," she said, but he was staring at some point behind her head, his eyes, unable to process her words.

"You were with Ryan," he mirrored, his eyes not moving from the wall. There was no emotion in his voice as he spoke, and it was as though he was merely reciting something to himself- useless words that didn't mean a thing.

She nodded, trying to ignore his monotone.

"Yeah, I was with Ryan," she confirmed, hoping that he would accept this. "I wanted to talk to him."

"About what?" he asked, a hurt look in his eyes we he finally looked to her, clearly upset by this. "What did you have to say to him that you couldn't say to me? I thought we could talk about anything."

"We can," she assured him, nodding. "But this was something I had to talk to him about. And before you freak, it was nothing bad. I told him that I felt like we needed closure, and for that, he had to known how I felt."

Derek gulped nervously. He had figured that all of this mess was over with, yet here Ryan was, popping up again in the most unconvenient of places. He seriously wished the guy would just get out of his life, and stay out, already. It was getting a little bit annoying, having this guy ruining something else in his life, everytime he turned around.

"How do you feel?" he asked, worried as to what she may be referring to. "Please don't tell me that you... that you like him again, or something. Please say that's not what this is about."

Casey instantly felt bad for him, and she cupped his face in her hands, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. His eyes were closed, and she smiled as she pulled back a little, her thumb brushing against his cheek. She felt terrible that he was this quick to jump to conclusions, because of everything she had done to him. It was like he automatically assumed the worst, now. He had absolutely no trust left in him.

"I don't like him," she said, shaking her head. "It's nothing like that; don't worry about it."

"Okay," he said shakily, not sounding completely reassured. "Well then... what is this all about?"

She shrugged, her hands still holding onto his face as she examined his face, bored.

"I dunno. I just felt like I needed to let him know things were officially over between us. I told him to go back to his daughter-"

Derek snorted, looking vaguely amused. Her eyes narrowed with confusion, and he shrugged, blushing sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "It's just... Ryan as a father... it's crazy. The guy can barely keep a woman, unless you count keeping her _away_ from her real family."

Anger flickered through her eyes momentarily. She knew she was in no position to be sticking up for Ryan to Derek, but she hated not defending her friends, when the oppurtunity presented itself.

"Don't judge him," she said, shaking her head at him, a little annoyed.

His eyes widened slightly with surprise, and anger flickered across his own face.

"Don't defend him," he said, glaring at her. "You're in no position whatsoever to be sticking up for the guy. I can't believe you don't want me to judge him. The guy's an absolute asshole. He was the cause of my wife cheating on me, he's ruined an entire summer that was already going down the drain as it is, and... I just don't like him. So guess what? If I want to say shit about him, I'm gonna do it, and you can't even justify what you're saying, anymore, because you know I was right about him."

Casey was biting back a million comments about how Ryan wasn't as bad as Derek thought. She wanted so badly to tell him about everything Ryan had said, about how he really did have an emotional side. But this was Ryan's business, and Casey knew that- no matter what she told Derek, he'd always hate Ryan, because of what he had done. Besides, she knew that starting up more trouble about Ryan wasn't going to help anyone, at this point. Derek had put up with enough anyway.

So she bit back everything she wanted to say, and smiled softly, brushing his hair away from his face, her arms wrapping around his neck as she stared down at him, trying to push all of her bitterness away.

"Let's not talk about Ryan," she decided, shaking her head as her fingers grazed along the back of his neck. "All that matters now is me and you, right?"

He forced out a very small smile, nodding his head.

"Right," he said, but worry crossed over his features for one more moment, and he tightened his hold around her waist. "One more thing. You didn't like... do anything with him, when you went to see him, right? It was just talking?"

She was immediately glad that she hadn't done anything else with Ryan the day before, because it felt so good to finally be able to look Derek in the eye, and tell him the truth. She didn't want to kiss Ryan, anyway.

"I gave him a hug," was all she said, shrugging. "I'm not cheating on you anymore, Derek. I can promise you that right now.

"Good," he said, kissing her gently. "I'll look past it, because you had the decency to let me know. But from now on... I mean, I don't want to be like... way too overprotective or anything, but can you... well..."

Casey sighed, pressing her lips against his forehead, and then lowering her head, so that their foreheads connected, and she could look him right in the eye.

"I won't go around him by myself anymore, if it makes you uncomfortable" she said, shaking her head. "I owe you that much."

He smiled, his entire body relaxing under the knowledge that Casey wouldn't have the oppurtunity to cheat on him again.

"Thank you," he whispered, hugging her tightly. Sighing into her long brown hair, he closed his eyes, sadness sweeping over him.

"We'd better get ready," he said, reality starting to sink into his system as he remembered where they would be going today. "We've got to go to the hospital."

She tightened her hold on him, drawing in a sharp breath, as though this very idea was terrifying to her. And really, it was- to the both of them. But they both knew what had to be done, so Derek gathered up all of his courage, breathing in deeply as he rubbed her back gently.

"It's time to say goodbye."

- - - -

Jayden and Kelly went into Jeff's room as soon as they got to the hospital, accompanied by their parents. Casey and Derek didn't fully explain the situation to Kelly; they merely stated that she should just go and visit Jeff, and that Jeff wasn't going to be coming home with them at all. She hadn't understood the concept of death, and neither parent was fully ready to explain what was happening , just yet. Jayden knew what was going on, of course. They had sat him down the night before, and told him that they needed to take Jeff off of life support, and that it was what was best for him. He had merely stated that whatever had to be done, would be done, and had returned to his bedroom. They both knew that this was tearing him up- having to say goodbye to the only little brother he had- but he was facing it pretty bravely.

After their goodbyes, Nora had picked the two children up from the hospital, and had returned to the house with them. It was obvious to her and George that Casey and Derek were going to be at the hospital signing forms, and saying their goodbyes. There was, after all, so much to say to someone you were never going to see again.

But now, the forms were signed, and they had been sitting in Jeff's room for well over an hour. No words had been spoken in well over half an hour, but it didn't matter. The nurse told them that they were allowed to sit with him as long as they liked before they actually took him off of the support. Their doctor was strangely absent that morning, so they couldn't tell them if there had been any improvements, but they already knew the answer to that. They could only assume it would be the same as it always was; negative.

Casey was holding onto Jeff's hand, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes hadn't moved from his face in over ten minutes. Derek was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the bed, his arms resting on the bed, his chin on his arms. He couldn't take his eyes away from Jeff. He knew that this was one of the last few moments in his life that he would see his son. Everything seemed to be rushing back to him all at once. All of the memories, and the good and bad times that Jeff had been with the family through. It was all rushing back, and he couldn't help but wonder...

"Are we doing the right thing?"

It was Casey's voice that broke the silence, voicing the thoughts that were passing through his own mind right about now. He didn't take his eyes away from his son, and he remained silent as she squirmed uncomfortably, sounding uncertain.

"We are, aren't we?"

Derek saw the way that Jeff's face was set. His eyes were closed. They hadn't opened up in months. His facial expression had not changed. A word hadn't left his mouth in as long, either. His very exsistance was so bleak, right now. Derek tried to imagine having to lead that sort of life, but it was too horrible to even fathom.

He nodded, a pang in his heart reminding him that there was so much pain associated with what they were doing.

"Yeah, we're doing the right thing," he said, feeling almost completely certain. "We're his parents. It's our job to... to look out for him... and make sure he doesn't feel any pain."

Casey sighed, using her free hand to smooth her son's sandy brown hair away from his eyes. His skin was still relatively warm, for what would be the last time, she knew.

"He won't feel anymore pain, after tonight," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "It's so hard to think that we'll never see him again."

Derek closed his eyes tightly, his hand clenching tightly into a fist, his fingernails digging into his skin painfully. He tried to focus on the pain in his palm, rather than his emotional pain.

"Don't even talk about it," he begged of her, shaking his head. "It's too hard to think about."

Casey gave Derek a worried look, shaking her head.

"Derek," she said, sounding suddenly surprised. "You're going to have to get used to this idea. When we take him off life support, he's going to be gone, and that means forever."

"I know what it means," he snapped, and he looked up in time to see hurt flicker through her eyes. He softened, shaking his head. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to snap at you. But this is just so hard."

She watched him for a moment, before sighing, and nodding in agreement.

"I know," she said, and looked down at Jeff sadly. "I wish he could be here when his little brother or sister is born. He would've loved it."

Derek looked at Jeff, frowning slightly.

"Yeah," he agreed, running a hand through his hair. "He loved it when Kelly came along. He had someone to annoy, someone to boss around. But you know he loved her throughout it all."

Casey gave a choked laugh, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

"Of course he did," she said, nodding. "He died for her, didn't he? He got her out of the way of the car... but it just hit him instead."

Derek cringed, and looked Casey in the eye, something occuring to him all of a sudden.

"I don't want Kelly to know that," he said, making up his mind on the spot. "Not until she's older, anyway. I don't want my little girl growing up thinking that she was responsible for her brother's death. I don't blame her... neither do you, and Jeff wouldn't either. He was so brave. I want her to be old enough to be proud of her brother, and understand that it wasn't her fault. And that time's not going to come for a very long time."

Casey looked down at Jeff, smiling sadly at the sight of her comatose son. To think that she would never see his eyes light up with excitement again, or hear his little voice calling out throughout the house, wanting some attention... it killed her. Jeff had been their pride and joy for so long... and now, without him, how would they even make it? If the past four or five months had been any precedent, she feared for their future.

"You're so important to us, and we love you so much," she whispered, clutching his hand tightly. "I don't want you to ever think we made this choice because we don't love you. It's the complete opposite. We love you enough to know that this isn't any sort of way for a little boy to be living."

She looked up at Derek, who had taken Jeff's other hand gently in his own, and was staring off at some point on the bed, his eyes blank as he listened to his wife, and nodded distantly in agreement with her words. She drew in a shaky breath, and went on.

"Jayden and Kelly are gonna miss you, too. We're gonna have another baby coming along sometime soon... we wish you could be here to meet him, or her. Maybe it will be a little bit like you. I hope so. But no matter what, no child is ever gonna replace you. You're our little boy... you always will be, alive or not- and nobody can ever take that away. You've got a special place in our lives, and that means forever. I'm your Mom, and I love you more than you could ever know."

Derek was holding onto Jeff's hand tighter, and she knew that he was trying not to cry. He had never been one to display much emotion; but she knew he wouldn't make it through this. No decent human being could make it through saying their final goodbyes to their own son, without crying.

"Derek?" she asked, sniffing as quietly as possible. "Do you have anything to say?"

He looked her in the eye, and she saw how much this was affecting him. Their eyes locked for only a moment, before he nodded, blowing out a slow breath as he looked down at Jeff.

"I don't know what to say to you, bud," he admitted, shrugging. "Me and you... we never really talked much about anything real. I mean, you're six, so I always assumed that there wasn't much we could really talk about. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that there was way more than I thought to you. You were my son, and looking back now... I didn't know as much as I would've liked to know about you."

Casey frowned, slightly confused.

"Derek?" she asked softly, and he spared her the briefest of glances, before ignoring her, and turning back to Jeff.

"Your mother," he started, shaking his head softly. "-she knew everything about you. She can go on for days about the history of your favourite colors, or the billion things you've claimed to want to be when you grow up. Last week, she rambled on about how you've got this imaginary friend named Todd, and do you wanna know something? I had no sweet clue what she was talking about. Me and you... we were close, we always have been. But we just... we do stuff. We play soccer, we pull pranks, we wrestle... but we never talked. And now I know that's something I'm going to regret for the rest of my life."

Casey bit her lip gently, looking away. She hadn't had the faintest clue that he had felt that way about this. He'd never mentioned it to her. But she knew that it was his business, and she decided against interrupting his little speech to ask him about it. He'd talk about it, if and when he wanted to.

"It makes me so mad to think that I had six years with you, and I let them go to waste," he said, shaking his head, anger in his eyes, mixed with remorse. "I always figured that there'd be time to talk, when you got a little older, that maybe we'd just sort of... develop into that kind of a relationship. And now there's no chance of that happening, and it makes me so frustrated."

He sniffed, his eyes closing briefly as he drew in a shaky breath.

"I love you, bud," he said quietly, so she had to strain her ears to hear it. "We named you after my best friend, and I don't think any other name would've suited you better. You're both fighters, you're both brave... and you're both people I will never, ever forget."

He trailed off, bowing his head down against his hands as he dropped Jeff's tiny hand from his own. Casey watched him for a moment, and she saw his shoulders shaking very slightly. She knew that he had to be crying. She didn't want to interrupt him, since he usually hated other people seeing him cry, but she knew that this was different. He'd already told her how badly he needed her to be there with him through this, and right now, she needed him too. They were each other's support system, and that was something that was so necessary right now.

So she let go of Jeff's hand, and stood up, making her way over to him. She didn't say a wolrd, nor did she make her presence known, but he just knew. She was a foot away when he reached his arms out, looking up at her with red eyes. And she felt herself being lowered into his lap as he held her, his face buried against her stomach, her chin resting on his head. She didn't know which one of them needed the other most right now, but it didn't matter, because neither of them had any intentions on leaving.

* * *

**Derek is a little more emotional in this chapter- but I really don't think any human being would NOT cry when their child was about to die. And Derek is certainly no exception to that rule. We've all seen the way he cares about Marti, and that's his sister! Anyway, enough of my justification, haha. Review, and I'll update. **


	32. Keeping You Here

**I am not entirely sure about brain anatomy or anything. I did do some research on the cerebellum, and some other medical things in here, but I will never understand measurements. I know brain activity is measured in Hz, but I really do not understand that, so guess what? We're using percentages now, because I'm sure it can be done. Haha. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Thirty-One: Keeping You Here**

What had started as a trip to the hospital to end everything had turned into a twelve hour ordeal of waiting. Derek and Casey had sat with Jeff for another two hours, after they had finished saying goodbye. No words had been spoken between either of them, but being there with Jeff, for what the assumed would be the last time, was just a feeling they both needed to capture in their minds forever.

When they'd finally gathered the courage it took to go out and tell the doctors to go ahead, to start taking him off of the life support, they'd been met with some surprising, but definitely good, news. Jeff's doctor, the one who had been mysteriously non-exsistant that morning, had come to tell them that there had been the slightest hint of brain activity, overnight. He had warned them not to get their hopes up, because it could've been some sort of a glitch with the machine. But he had displayed a period of under forty percent brain activity, for a time span of twenty minutes, around midnight, and again at three in the morning. The times in between were plagued with complete failure, and no brain activity whatsoever, but it was hope. The times that he was displaying activity seemed to be when people were in the room. He had been recorded at a thirty three percent activity level when his parents had gone in the room to see him.

They had been told, of course, that the chances were slim. They had been told that it was probably best to only hold off on the removal of life support for a very short period of time. The chances of Jeff waking up were probably less than fifty percent. But it was something to hold onto, and there was no way in the world that Derek and Casey were about to let go of the only glimmer of hope that they'd been given on this situation so far.

"His cerebellum was really damaged in the accident," the doctor was explaining as he paced back and forth the waiting room, gripping his chin as he stared off into space, thinking hard. "I want you to be aware that, eve if he does wake up... there are so many complications you could face. The medical treatment he would need if something is seriously wrong is so extensive-"

"We don't care about costs," Derek said, shaking his head eagerly as his free hand clutched onto Casey's tightly. "Whatever has to be paid... we'll pay it. We just want our son back."

Casey bit her lip, looking up at the doctor curiously. Her eyes were sparkling with interest as she voiced her question.

"What kind of problems are usually associated with damage to the cerebellum?" she asked, frowning slightly.

The doctor looked up at her, moving his hand from his chin to fold his arms across his chest. He fixed her with a concerned look, sighing.

"The possibilites are endless, really," he said, shaking his head. "The cerebellum is the part of your brain that's responsible for sensory perception, and motor skills. Asynergia, dysemetria, hypotonia... those are just a few of the effects that-"

He paused, catching sight of the twin looks of confusion on their faces. Sighing, he shok his head.

"I'm guessing that you have no idea what any of those words mean," he said, and while Derek nodded, Casey looked slightly uncertain.

"They're conditions... aren't they? Inabilities, something like that?"

Derek rolled his eyes at her tendency of knowing absolutely everything, and the doctor looked impressed.

"That's right, actually," he said, nodding. "Basically, your son might have to be retaught all of the things he once knew. His balance may be off, and he might even how to learn how to walk again. His speech might he affected, and if that's the case, he'll have to attend speech therapy. There's a number of things that he might have to be retaught. It could take anywhere from a few months, to a year or two. It depends how much damage was done, and how quickly he catches back on. But I can tell you now, it won't be easy."

"Neither would saying goodbye," Casey whispered, thinking of how hard it had been to let him go, earlier. She shared a brief look with Derek, and he nodded, squeezing her hand gently. Looking back up at the doctor, she drew in a deep breath. It was amazing how they both knew what the other was thinking, when it was needed.

"We're going to give it another day," she said, nodding slowly. "If he doesn't wake up by the day after tomorrow, or if it doesn't keep improving, we'll take him off. Keep all those forms we signed on hand, just in case. But we think it's at least worth a try."

The doctor nodded, giving them a tiny smile. An invisible wall seemed to crumble away as the formality of their little meeting evaporated, immediately replaced by a strange sense of casual leisure.

"I've seen how hard this has been on your family," he noted, relaxing slightly. "If anyone deserves happiness, it would be your family. I wish you the best of luck with everything."

He backed up a little, nodding courteously at them.

"You can go in and sit with him if you'd like," he said, nodding towards the hallway behind him. "I showed you the moniter. If anything changes on it, come tell me right away. And if he wakes up... well, it's very important that you get me in there as soon as possible. If you can't find me, get one of the nurses to track me down, but I should be in my office."

Derek and Casey nodded, standing up. Their hands were still clasped tightly together, the only sign that there was any sort of miracle through this horrible nightmare. They were still together. They had been through so much, and yet they were standing here, hand in hand, just as in love as they always had been.

"Thank you," Casey said quietly, and the doctor turned, leaving the room.

Casey and Derek made their way into their son's hospital room, Casey sitting on the edge of the bed, with Derek sitting next to her, in the chair. He still held onto her hand as they looked between the moniter, and Jeff. They were just waiting for some sort of a sign that something had changed, and in a good way.

Casey frowned, sighing as the little lines that indicated brain activity remained almost completely flat. Ocassionally, they would move upwards, but it was nowhere near halfway to what it should be, and it would quickly die down again.

"Derek?" she questioned, her thumb tracing over the soft skin on his wrist gently.

He was staring at the moniter blankly, and he gave a little nod of the head, signalling that he was listening.

"Mhm?" he offered, raising an eyebrow.

She looked down at her husband, fear in her eyes, almost completely overpowering the little bit of hope that she had allowed herself to feel.

"Do you really think he'll wake up?" she asked, praying that he would say yes. Derek's instincts usually proved to be correct, and she hoped that she could rely on him in this whole predicament.

He sighed, his eyes lowering to Jeff's motionless body. He reached out with his free hand, brushing his fingers along Jeff's arm very softly. His eyes flickered up to the screen, but nothing had changed. There was no flicker of recognition, no real changes.

Frowning, he shrugged his shoulders, moving his hand away from Jeff to let it rest on his lap again. Holding onto Casey's hand still, he offered her a confused shrug.

"I really don't know, Case," he admitted, sounding disappointed. "I want to believe he will. But I really have no idea."

Disappointment flickering through her, she sighed, and looked away sadly.

"I don't want to let myself get too hopeful," she admitted, and he cringed at her unhappiness. "We've gotten disappointed too many times this summer."

He nodded in agreement, bringing her hand to his lips to give it a swift kiss. He took her hand between both of his, rubbing it gently as he let his eyes wander back to his comatose son.

"It's okay, Casey," he said, sighing. "No matter what happens, you've got me. I'm never going to let you down. Whatever happens, I'll help you through the pain."

She looked down at him, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. Derek was so amazing, and she couldn't believe that she had ever taken that for granted. Here he was, doing everything in his power to ensure that she wasn't hurting or upset. She moved her free hand away from Jeff, and slipped the one Derek had been holding onto away from him. Her eyes squinted slightly, she stood up, and took a step towards him. She was looking down at him as her knees bumped against his, their eyes locking together in a deep connection.

Derek couldn't take his eyes away from hers, and he frowned slightly, fear wavering through his eyes as he noticed that she wasn't looking away, either.

"Case?" he questioned, confused, but she shook her head, and reached down to lock her hands around his. Her hands were so much smaller, and she bit her lip as he stood up to eye level with her, and dropped her hands to pull her into a hug. Her arms wrapped easily around his neck, and she buried her face against the warm skin of his neck, enveloped by the faint smell of cologne that he had been wearing that morning. He hadn't worn it to the hospital, since scented products were generally banned, but the scent still lingered on him. She could feel his lips pressing gently against her neck, before trailing up to her ear, brushing it gently.

"Don't cry," he whispered to her, and she shook her head, her eyes absolutely dry.

"I'm not going to cry," she said honestly, completely confident in that. "I've cried all I can. And there's nothing to cry for anymore. Whatever happens, happens. If Jeff wakes up, it will be a miracle, but either way, we'll know we made the right choice for him. All we can do is wait to see what happens. It's not in our hands anymore. It's out of our control."

Derek pulled back, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Her skin was warm beneath his lips, and he smiled at her, his fingers brushing the sliver of skin that was exposed between the hem of her jeans, and her shirt. He traced his thumb over her skin, a faraway look in her eyes.

"I can remember when he was born, how excited I was," Derek said, laughing gently. "I mean, I'm a guy, and even I couldn't get over how amazing that feeling was. I remember just holding onto him the first time, and thinking to myself that all I wanted to do was protect that little boy from anything that could hurt him. All I wanted was to be a good father to him."

She smiled sadly at him, her thumb swiping across his forehead gently to push his hair away from his eyes, so she could see them more clearly.

"You're an amazing father," she whispered, nodding her head. "Jeff knows that you love him. If there was one thing he was always sure of, it was that his parents were absolutely crazy about him. He didn't grow up in some dingy little house, with absuive parents and siblings who hated each other. He grew up in a house where everyone loved him, and each other... and I think that means he led a pretty good life. If he dies here today... we'll know we've given him the best life he could've had."

Derek nodded in agreement, sighing.

"It's just so hard to imagine not having him around," he noted, sounding slightly confused. "I mean, I should be used to it by now, after having him gone for so long... but he's physically been here. I guess it's just a concept I'll have to get used to."

He was silent for a moment, before remembering something, and giving a faint shrug of the shoulders.

"And maybe we're overreacting," he said, sounding doubtful. "Maybe he really will wake up, even if he does have some lasting, or temporary damage. I mean, what's a bit of memory loss? So he'll forget the old memories. We'll always remember, and he can make new memories, if that's the case. And if he needs to be retaught every single thing he once knew, so help me God, I'll stick by his side until he's walking and talking just like he used to."

She smiled at his determination, and as her eyes flickered towards the monitor, they widened slightly, and she let out a little gasp.

"Derek," she breathed out, noticing that the flat little line that monitored his brain activity was slowly moving upwards, followed by downwards strokes. But unlike the other little periods of time where his brain activity flickered around a little bit, the lines indicated that it was well over fifty percent, and even when it went down, it was never at the zero mark. He was staying at a consistant level of at least forty-five.

Derek, not noticing what she had said, and being back on to the monitor, kept on talking.

"I mean, we taught him once, we can teach him again, right? It'll be some good practice, since we'll be teaching the new baby how to walk and talk, eventually."

"Derek," she tried again, but her attempts were once again useless.

"Speaking of which, have you thought of any names, 'cause I'm definitely leaning towards-"

"Derek!"

Derek frowned, a confused look washing over his features.

"Derek?" he questioned, shaking his head pointedly. "No, that won't work. I'm not into the whole 'Junior' concept, to be quite honest. It's way too confusing."

She rolled her eyes at his obvious inability to focus on her words, and she shook her head, nodding towards the monitor behind him.

"Not that," she said, frustrated. "The monitor, Derek; look at the monitor!"

He frowned, and turned around to see that the lines on the screen were steadily getting stronger, and more consistant to that of a normal level. She could feel his hands tighten around her waist, and his eyes widened as he stared at the screen in shock.

"Oh my God," he murmered, shaking his head as he let go of Casey, and rushed to Jeff's bedside. He placed one foot up on the chair, looking down at his son.

"Jeff, buddy?" he questioned, feeling his entire body shaking with anticipation and hope. "Can you hear me, little guy? Come on, wake up."

Casey took a few steps forward until she was next to Derek, and she placed a hand on her husband's arm, shaking her head. There was a sad smile on her lips, and a look of utmost regret in her eyes as she let out a deep breath, feeling sorry for Derek.

"That's not gonna work, Derek," she said sadly, trying to keep from looking up at the monitor for too long. She was scared that the lines would slowly descend again, and her hope woild have been for nothing. "It hasn't worked for five months, and I highly doubt that it's gonna work now."

Derek shook his head desperately, his hands clutching Jeff's wrists urgently.

"It will work," he said, his eyes focused on his son. "Just wait."

"Derek," she tried, feeling her heart clench. He really seemed to think that by merely talking to him, he would wake up.

"Shh," Derek said, his voice rushed and excited. "Jeff, it's Dad. Come on buddy, you've gotta wake up. You've got so many people pulling for you right now. We all miss you, little man. Come back to us."

Casey felt like she had to get Derek away from Jeff. He was deluded if he thought that he could wake him up by mere begging.

"Come on, Derek," she said, her voice urgent now. "How about we go downstairs and get something to eat, okay? You're not going to-"

"Be quiet!" he hissed, his eyes darting back up towards the monitor. "It's getting stronger, see?"

Casey looked up, and she was taken aback when she saw that Derek was absolutely right. The lines that were once just barely over fifty, were now surpassing sixty, and were soaring towards seventy slowly. Derek didn't even look at her, but when he spoke up again, his words were directed towards her.

"Talk to him," he instructed her, his voice demanding. "Help me out here. Say something."

She frowned, biting her lip as she looked back down at Jeff.

"What am I supposed to say?" she asked, and he shook his head desperately, throwing one hand up in the air as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"I don't know, say _something!_" he cried, getting frustrated. "Just do it, before we start losing him again."

He fell silent for only a moment, before turning to her, his eyes pleading.

"Please..." he said, his voice more quiet now as it shook with fear. "I can't lose him again, Case."

She knew how desperate he was, and something in his voice made her feel slightly more hopeful about their son's condition. She couldn't help but feel like maybe Derek was right, maybe this really was working. Either way, she knew that, if there was even the tiniest chance that it could get her son to wake up from this horrible coma, one that was seemingly endless, it had to be worth a shot.

So she nodded her head quickly, and came to a stop next to Derek, reaching down to smooth Jeff's hair away from his face. He was a little bit warmer than usual, and she even took that as a good sign. Maybe he really was waking up. Derek was watching her with utmost desperation, and she sighed, before clearing her throat, and just letting the words leave her mouth in no particular order, with no organized thought.

"Jeff, baby... it's Mommy," she said, praying he could hear her. "I hope you can hear me... _us_. We want you to come back to us, more than anything. You've got parents that love you, and you've got a big brother who misses his little friend. Your little sister just wants her older brother back, and you know what? You're gonna get to be a big brother again, 'cause we're soon gonna have another little brother or sister for you. And you need to be around to annoy them, don't you?"

Derek's eyes flickered up to the screen, and he bit down on his lip so hard that it almost bled.

"Seventy six percent," he noted, his voice tense with anxiety. "Come on, keep it up. It's working."

She tensed slightly, allowing herself to realize that keeping Jeff somewhere near conciousness was so crucial right now, to his entire life. She sucked in a sharp breath, feeling one of Derek's hands lock tightly around her own as she brushed her hand along Jeff's cheek with the other.

"You're the bravest kid we know," she whispered to him, feeling tears in her eyes. "You can pull out of this, bud. I know you can."

"Eighty..." Derek said, and before she could even look at the monitor, she felt some form of movement on the bed next to her. She jumped slightly, figuring it was Derek, but when she looked down, she saw that Jeff's hand was moving ever so slightly. Her heart was skipping beats left, right, and center, and her breathing got caught in her throat as she waited anxiously for something to happen. She let her hand rest on the side of his face, shaking slightly with nerves.

"He's waking up," Casey said, the realization washing over her. She couldn't help but smile a little as she spoke those words. "Derek, he's... he's really waking up!"

Derek didn't respond. He kept his gaze serious as he stared at Jeff, finding that he couldn't believe it until he saw it.

"Come on," he whispered, so that even Casey couldn't hear him. "Almost there..."

And slowly, blearily, Jeff's eyes opened. Casey and Derek's gaze was met with the crystalline, baby blue eyes that they had not seen in over four and a half months. Jeff was squinting in the light that he had not been exposed to in so long, and he remained completely motionless as face scrunched up slightly in confusion and over-exposure to the light.

"Jeff?" Casey questioned, and although his head didn't move, his eyes moved slowly to meet with his mother's. He stared at her, blinking a couple of times, but he gave no response to indicate that he had understood what she had meant.

"Jeff?" she tried again, her hand never leaving his face. "Derek, go get the doctor."

Derek didn't even argue. Remembering how the doctor had outlined the importance of being notified immediately of any change, he let go of Casey's hand, and jumped up, practically falling onto the floor as he ran desperately for the door.

Casey looked back to her son, and moved her hand away from his face, grasping his tiny hand gently in both of hers. She smiled, tears in her eyes as she gave a choked laugh, unable to believe the obvious miracle that they had been granted.

"It's gonna be okay, baby," she said to her speechless son, kissing his forehead. "You're okay. You're absolutely fine. Everything's gonna be just fine..."

- - - -

The doctor had examined Jeff, and seen what he could and could not do, within the first hour of waking up.

He couldn't walk, and he couldn't talk; that much was obvious. Those skills were going to have to be retaught to him. He seemed to be able to understand what people were saying, because when he was asked a question, he could nod or shake his head to let them know his answer. The doctor had asked him a series of questions, mostly about what he could and could not remember, and if he felt pain in any areas of his body. They were all relieved to hear that he didn't appear to be in too much pain, aside from the few bones that had been broken, and were still a bit weak. But he did remember. There didn't appear to be any memory loss, from what they could see so far.

And now, the doctor was telling them what was going to be done about reteaching Jeff everything he had to know, to move ahead again.

"We want to send Jeffrey to a centre in Maine," the doctor explained, his arms folded across his chest. "We know it's far, and it's sort of expensive, but we'll try and help you out as much as we can. This centre really is the best that there is, and he'd only be gone for a few months, depending on how quickly he progresses."

Casey's eyes widened at the same time as Derek's, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see her shaking her head. Although he didn't do anything, he privately sided with Casey on this one; that wasn't about to happen. After having their son so far away from them for so long, in a way, they definitely weren't ready to send him out of the country for treatment.

"Maine? A few months?" she repeated, her voice determined. "Sorry, that's not going to happen. I don't care how advanced this centre is, I'm not sending my son off to a place where I won't even be able to visit him."

The doctor sighed, frowning slightly.

"I had a feeling you might not approve of this, but I assure you, it's really the best center that there is for the rehabilitation of injured or handicapped children. Jeff has alot to learn. He needs to learn how to walk and talk again, and even then, I can almost promise you that speech therapy, and physiotherapy, will be a necessary aspect of his life for a long time to come, even with the top notch center."

Casey shook her head, sharing a brief glance with Derek, who was obviously firmly on her side on this one.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to give us a closer center," she said, shrugging. "We're not sending him out of the country, and that's that. Now tell us, is there any centers in Ontario that are good?"

He stared at them for a moment, hesitant, before giving in. It was obvious that they weren't going to budge, on this one.

"There's one in Toronto," he said, picking up a pamphlet off of his desk, and handing it to them. "Ranked as one of the top one hundred in the world. It's accessible to you, if you're willing to drive a few hours to get there. It's the closest one I can recommend to you. But he does need rehabilitation. It's way too much to learn at home, and he needs to be under observation."

Casey looked at Derek, who nodded at her, and she drew in a deep breath, nodding.

"If it's really the closest one, we're going to go with it," she said, sighing. "We'll read up on it tonight, and let you know our final decision tomorrow. But all we want is to be near him, and to know that he's getting better. And if it's ranked as one of the top centers in the world-"

"One of the finest," he assured them, leaning back in his chair and nodding. "I can tell you now. This isn't going to be easy, but you can visit him as often as you'd like, as long as you're not interfering with any of his programs. And once he's stable enough to go home, he can come back to you, and we can set up the rest of the appointments and check-ups through the hospital. We can arrange home visits, to check up on his progress every two weeks or so."

Casey nodded, and her hand squeezed Derek's lightly as she caught sight of the tiny smile on his face, one that she was sure was mirrored on her own face right about now.

"Sounds perfect," she said, and she knew it was true. Because as of right now, nothing felt more perfect than this.

* * *

**There's only the epilogue left. I couldn't resist giving them a somewhat happy ending, even if Jeff will still be enduring hardship in his life. Anyway, review, and I will post the epilogue. **


	33. Epilogue

**Due to reasons I'm not going to go into, this one was a bit later than usual. I apologize, but I hope you enjoy. Reviews are always lovely. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Epilogue**

It had been a very hectic Saturday morning in the Venturi household. Then again, with four kids, things were gauranteed to be hectic at any given moment of the day.

Casey had woke up at around seven thirty to get everything ready, and clean up the house before they went out that day. It was Jeff's birthday today, and Casey and Derek had made big plans. They had prepared for this so much that they almost felt guilty for not planning their other children's birthday celebrations just as thoroughly, but they knew that the kids understood that Jeff making it to his seventh birthday was an absolute miracle. There had been such a long period of time in which they had all thought he wouldn't make it to another birthday.

At around ten, when there was still no sign of Derek, she got annoyed, and went upstairs, giving him a good smack to the side of the head with his own pillow. That had quickly woken him up, and she had instructed him to get Jeff ready, and come downstairs for breakfast. And without another word, she had left the room, calling out to her oldest son to get his sister ready and get downstairs. Jayden had been up since nine, playing XBOX in the living room. But upon his mother's words, he had obediently shut the console off, and headed upstairs to get his little sister.

She returned the the kitchen, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair, and made her way over to the stove. There was a pan of scrambled eggs cooking, and she grabbed the two slices of toast that had just ejected from the toaster. She had just placed them down on top of the stack of toast that she had already prepared, when she heard a playful squeal coming from across the room. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling as she saw her three month old daughter, Tara, smiling over at her from her spot in her highchair.

Sighing, she turned the pan down, and wiped her hands on the nearest dishcloth. She made her way across the room, pulling a chair up next to her daughter's highchair, and she smiled, reaching under the baby's arms to lift her up, holding her head securely against her shoulder. She kissed her daughter's head, which had little tuffs of brown fuzz on it for hair.

"How's Mommy's baby doing?" she whispered to her, rocking her gently against her chest, the smile never leaving her face. "Are you hungry?"

Tara reached a tiny hand up, swatting at the end of Casey's nose playfully. She trailed her hand over to clutch a fistful of hair in her tiny fist, and she giggled. Casey merely laughed, tweaking the end of her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"You're just too cute, aren't you?" she said, grinning. "You're gonna be a real heartbreaker. Between you and your sister, your Dad's not gonna get another night's sleep for the next eighteen years."

She laughed quietly to herself at the mental image of what Derek was going to do when one of his girl's had their first date. Derek would go absolutely nuts, and tell them that they weren't allowed to be dating until after they were married. It would make no sense, but to Derek, it would be absolutely logical- because that man just lived in his own little world, one where he was always right. Maybe that was why he appeared to be so happy all of the time. In any instance, she knew that the first boy who tried to land a date with one of their daughters was going to be up against one very protective father.

She was brought out of her trance by the sound of a voice coming from the other end of the room.

"Casey, you're going to have that little girl worn down with all the cuddling you do," Derek said sleepily, as he wandered into the kitchen, his hand clasping tightly onto Jeff's as he helped his son walk into the room. He was holding onto the wall for support with his free hand, and Derek was walking slowly, his eyes flickering down to their feet every few seconds to make sure he was staying balanced. He still required some help with walking, usually only in the mornings, when his muscles weren't fully awake yet, or whenever he had been standing for a long period of time. He had been in a wheelchair for about three months, when he had been at the centre. Casey and Derek had visited him every single weekend when he had been staying there, and would go in and sit with him in his room for hours and hours on end, just talking to him, Derek especially. With Jeff unable to walk, or do as much as he once had been able to, there was plenty of time for talking now. And Derek had suddenly developed a very strong bond with his son, on a whole new level to him. Jeff had only stayed at the center for about two months, and had been home in time for the birth of his baby sister, four months later.

Jeff's speech had been first to return to him. It had come back almost naturally, and after a month, he was talking at an impressive level. He would struggle with his words sometimes, and forget a couple of them along the way. But Derek and Casey were always quick to help him figure it out. They normally wouldn't tell him the answer to what he was looking for; they would give him hints, to help get his brain working properly again. He sometimes had a slight stutter, and his words were slurred occasionally, but it was something that they had gotten used to, and could understand by now.

Other than that, he was back to his usual, fun self. He attended weekly appointments at the children's hospital, where they would track his progress, and check to make sure everything was okay with him. Once a month, the nurse would come in for a home visit, to make sure that everything in his environment was okay with his disabilities, and wouldn't be causing him any stress whatsoever,

But overall, Jeff had progressed amazingly, and they had never been prouder of him.

Casey smiled, lowering Tara back down into her highchair, and dropping a quick kiss to the baby's forehead. Without another word, she rushed to Jeff's side, and grinned, kneeling down to pull him into a tight hug.

"There's my little birthday boy," she murmered, kissing the side of his head happily as he wrapped his arms around his mother's neck, giving his father a desperate look.

Derek laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's your mother, for you," he offered carelessly. "She's an emotional creature, little guy."

Casey pulled back, pointing a finger at Derek as she glared at him angrily.

"You, be quiet," she instructed, shaking her head. "It's our baby's birthday, and he deserves to have a special day."

"I'm not a baby," Jeff said, scowling slightly. "I'm seven years old!"

Casey looked slightly taken aback, and Derek stifled laughter, snorting, but masking the sound with his hand as it covered his mouth.

"Yeah, Case," he put in, shaking his head. "He's seven years old. When _will_ you get with the times?"

She rolled her eyes, kissing Jeff's cheek happily.

"Happy Birthday, Jeff," she said, ruffling his hair as she pulled back. She noticed that, when he let go of Derek's hand, he stumbled slightly a couple of times on his way to the kitchen table. She frowned, running a hand through her hair.

"Jeff, don't you think maybe you should do some of the exercises the physiotherapist showed you, before you eat breakfast? You seem a little bit unbalanced this morning."

Jeff shook his head as he brought himself to a stop at the kitchen table, in front of his plate of breakfast. He was grinning as he snatched his fork off of the table, and looked up at his mother.

"Nuh-uh," he declared, raising an eyebrow. "It's Saturday, and it's my birthday. Gimme a break!"

Even as he spoke, his words slurred together a little, though they usually did in the morning, before he was fully awake. He had to do a series of speech exercises twice a day, something he heartily disliked. But he was mature about it on most days, and he understood that it had to be done. But today, she could tell that getting him to do anything pertaining to his injury would be extremely difficult, because he was so excited about his birthday.

She moved to take a step forward, to try and reason with him about how important his exercises were, but she felt a hand wrap around her waist, and pull her backwards. She frowned as she came to a rest, pressed against Derek's side. She searched him with confused eyes, and he shook his head, nodding towards Jeff, who still hadn't stopped smiling.

"Look at him, Case," he whispered to her, shaking his head. "He's so excited. It's his birthday. Just... give him a break. Just for today, please?"

Jeff could not hear what his father was saying, but he did seem to notice that they were negotiating over whether or not he should have to do his exercises, because he looked up at his mother, pouting in an adorable sort of way at her.

"Please, Mommy?" he begged, his eyes widening into little pools of hope. She nearly melted under the cute little gaze he was giving her, but she struggled to keep on top of her game, and keep her argument firm and believeable.

She was about to argue some more, but she made the idiotic mistake of turning her head to the right, to see that Derek was gazing at her with an equally as adorable and begging look. She looked back and forth between her husband and her son, still amazed by how much they could manipulate her with those cute little pouts.

Rolling her eyes, she let out a growl of frustration, and shook her head as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Fine," she said, clearly not happy about this. "Skip them for this morning. But you're still doing them before you go to bed. Honestly, you two are the-"

"-best men in your life," Derek murmered, pressing his lips to the side of her neck gently, trying to calm her. Jeff turned his back on his parents, and said good morning to his baby sister. She relaxed a little, leaning back against his shoulder as a lazy smile appeared on her lips, and a giggle escaped from her. He smirked, knowing he had complete power over her, and she reached up behind her blindly to wrap one arm around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, and she felt his lips brush closely to her ear. She thought for a moment that he was going to say something sweet to her, but a moment later, he merely laughed, and said;

"Better do some serious re-evaluating on this whole power thing, babe- 'cause I'm definitely beginning to think you're the one who is whipped."

She let a tiny smirk appear on her lips, glancing over to make sure Jeff was still preoccupied with his sister, and when she saw that he was, she turned around to face Derek. She brought her lips close to his, hovering over them tauntingly. She could feel his body tense slightly, and he seemed to know that she was about to contradict him. And he knew that, whatever challenge she was about to present, he was going to lose. The feeling of her warm breath made his lips tingle, and the look in her eyes was so determined that he knew he had lost already.

"You think you've got the power, huh?" she whispered, raising an eyebrow. "See, there's a difference between you and me. I could stand here for hours and not kiss you. You, on the other hand, aren't going to last-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence, when he had leaned forwards, pressing his lips against hers. She laughed gently against his lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands gripped her waist and pulled her close to his chest. They were only broke apart when they heard the clearing of a throat coming from the doorway, and they looked over to see Jayden standing there, still in his pajamas, with his hair all messed up. He had Kelly up in his arms, but he let her down as she squirmed impatiently, wanting her freedom. Jayden immediately crossed the room and took a seat across from his brother at the table, sighing.

"Honestly, they tell _me_ to keep it PG thirteen?"

Derek rolled his eyes, but looked down when he felt Kelly hauling on the leg of his pants impatiently. She was grinning up at him, excitement lit up in her eyes. She was almost four now, having celebrated her third birthday shortly after Jeff had woken up. She had grown a couple of inches, and her hair was longer and even lighter than it had been before. Her eyes still had that curious little spark of happiness, in them.

"Lift me up!" she declared, and when she caught sight of Casey's raised eyebrow, she grinned sheepishly, giggling as she added a quick; "Please?"

Derek laughed, reaching down to lift her up. He groaned, pretending like she was heavy.

"Geez," he said, shaking his head at her. "You're getting awfully big for this, aren't you? Those donuts are doing their job."

Kelly's eyes lit up with happiness, and she let out a little squeal of excitement, clapping her hands together.

"Donut?!"

Derek's eyes widened, and he shook his head, mentally slapping himself for being so stupid.

"Just go eat your breakfast," he said, placing her back down on the floor. He rubbed his temple with his hands as Kelly skipped off to the table happily.

"Daddy's getting donuts!"

Casey laughed, raising an eyebrow in amusement at her husband.

"You're the one going to get those, you know that, don't you?" she asked, and when he glared at her, she shrugged, laughing. "What? You know she won't stop until she gets them, now. Might as well just give into the inevitable."

Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the table, sitting down at the top of the table, while Casey sat at the other end. He grinned at her from the other side of the table, shaking his head. He saw Jeff sticking his tongue out at Kelly, and he watched as Casey tore her gaze away from his long enough to stop Kelly from throwing the saltshaker at her brother. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he saw his youngest son sitting there, almost back to full health, and perfectly happy. Ten months ago, he had thought he would never see his son again, and now, here he was, celebrating his seventh birthday with his whole family.

Derek shook his head, and took a bite of his breakfast. Life could turn in the most random of directions sometimes. But this was one direction he definitely enjoyed.

- - - -

It had definitely been a birthday that Jeff wouldn't forget anytime soon. After breakfast, they had taken him to Canada's Wonderland. He'd been there the year before with Marti, Edwin, and Lizzie, a few months before the accident, and he had spent weeks afterwards tellling his mother and father how much he wanted to go back, and how much fun he'd had. So taking him there just seemed fitting. They'd had to stop several times in between to sit down on the benches, since he got a little weak sometimes, but for the most part, he'd done fine. They had left Tara at Cole and Kallie's house, since she was way too young to ride any of the rides. Kelly could only ride the little kid rides, so Jayden, Derek, and Casey had taken the liberty of staying off the bigger rides, in turns, and accompanying her on the kiddie rides. It had surprised them when Jeff had taken her hand, and led her over to the ride she had been eyeing for an hour. He'd given up his spot in the lineup for the ride he'd been trying to get on for a half an hour. They had a feeling the smile on his little sister's face was all the reward he needed for it, though Casey had been very happy to see them getting along so well. Incidentally, Casey had been the one to step off the roller-coaster rides, claiming someone had to watch Kelly. But Derek knew there was no denying the pale look to her face when she saw the loops and turns on the ride.

They'd stayed at the park for five and a half hours, and by the time they got back into London, it was nearly six o'clock at night. They stopped into Jeff's favourite restauraunt for dinner, and ordered him a banana split for dessert, since that was his favourite.

And now, they found themselves back at Cole's, where they would be sticking around to open the presents that they'd brought over that morning. It came as no surprise that they'd practically bombarded the poor boy with presents, and even though Cole had warned them that spoiling him, or treating him too kindly, was a bad idea, they had outdone themselves. Even Jayden had gone out and bought his brother a pretty cool gift. He'd landed a job at the local mall about two months back, so he had a pretty decent cash flow going on, these days. His reasoning was that he had to pay for his dates with Kayla somehow, even though they usually went splits on everything.

Needless to say, when they stepped into the porch of Cole's porch that evening, Jeff was completely exhausted, from a very exciting and busy birthday.

"We're here!" Casey called out, throwing her coat onto the hook, and kicking off her shoes. They always just walked into Cole's house, like he did when he came over to theirs. It was common nature by now.

"We're in the living room," she heard Cole call out, and she was surprised to hear he sounded somewhat nervous. Casey had Kelly up in her arms as she walked into the living room, Derek, Jayden, and Jeff all tagging along behind her. Derek's hand was holding onto Jeff's, and they all stopped when they saw that Ryan was sitting there with his sister, and brother in-law.

Casey completely froze. She hadn't expected him to be here, and by the apologetic look on Cole's face, neither had he. She was scared to death to turn around and face Derek's reaction. But she had no need to turn around, because he spoke up, his voice full of hatred and what sounded like the desire to kill.

"Hell no."

Ryan winced, his hands in his pockets as he slumped down, sighing.

"Here we go again," he muttered, clearly figuring that Derek was about to call him out on being a absolute asshole, and a homewrecker. But Derek turned to Cole, shaking his head angrily.

"Why is he here?" he asked, his voice shaking as he held onto Jeff's hand tighter. "Didn't I make it clear to everyone in this room that I never wanted to see this guy again?"

Ryan looked away, and Casey glanced over her shoulder. She was surprised that, aside from the anger in his voice, fear was the dominant emotion playing in his eyes. She may have been the only one who noticed this, but she shifted to let Kelly down, and as the little girl ran off, Casey locked her hand around Derek's, squeezing gently.

"It's okay," she whispered, though she was equally as taken aback by this as he was. "I'm not going to-"

"It's not you I don't trust," he snapped, and when she looked shocked, he softened a little, and squeezed her hand. His voice was nothing but a whisper when he cringed a little, as though he had just realized something that he should've known a long time ago.

"Not anymore," he said, shaking his head. "I... I do trust you again, Casey. I know you're... well... I just do."

There was an awkward silence, and Jayden bit his lip, his hands in his pockets as he averted his gaze to the ground. Ryan was looking back and forth between Derek and Casey, as though worried that one or both of them could attack him at any second. He wasn't even going to look at Jayden, because he was scared to even make eye contact with that guy. He had proven to be very easily provoked, just like his father.

The silence was only broken when Jeff, oblivious to the summer's events, and not having any idea who Ryan was, spoke up. He grinned, showing the gap in his front teeth as he pointed towards Ryan's red and black long sleeve shirt.

"I got a shirt like that," he pointed out proudly. "Mommy bought it for me."

Derek rolled his eyes, letting go of Casey's hand to fold his arms across his chest.

"Remind me to burn it later."

Jeff looked up at his father, confused, and Casey closed her eyes for a moment, slightly embarassed. If she didn't have a perfectly good idea where he was coming from, she would scold him, but she knew how strong his hatred for Ryan was.

"Derek, stop it," was all she said, and she knew that she didn't sound at all convincing, since she didn't want to act like she was taking Ryan's side over Derek's.

Jeff tore his eyes away from his father, and shrugged his shoulders as he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, boldly crossing the room and throwing himself happily into an armchair.

"I like it," he said casually, his eyes resting for just another moment on the shirt. Derek immediately jumped to defend his own honour, and he shook his head angrily.

"No you don't."

Derek scowled as he said it, a childish little gleam in his eyes as his face turned slightly red with anger. He was growing moody over the fact that his wife and son weren't dissing Ryan like he was, even if he knew it was a stupid reason to be angry or upset.

Ryan sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at his enemy's obvious immaturity.

Casey turned around suddenly, her eyes squinted with confusion as she seemed to acknowledge something. When she searched for a few moments, and didn't find whatever it was she was looking for, Derek noticed, and shook his head, slightly annoyed.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, a bit more harshly than intended. "You're spinning around like a-"

"Kelly," she said simply, shaking her head. She looked up at Derek, shaking her head. "Where did she go?"

Before Derek could even think of an answer for her, a voice spoke up behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see a woman coming up over the stairs from the basement, which had been turned into a playroom for the kids. Cole and Kallie had gotten heating and carpet put down there, and the whole room was scattered with toys and games at all times.

The woman was medium height, with brown and blonde hair. She appeared to be in her late twenties, and she was smiling as she spoke.

"You mean the cute little girl with the brown hair?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. When Derek and Casey nodded frantically, she nodded towards the direction in which she'd just come from.

"Downstairs," she told them, and they both breathed out sighs of relief. It was easy to overreact whenever one of the kids disappeared from their view, after what had happened with Jeff.

"She's playing with my little girl."

Derek studied the woman carefully as she brushed past them, and made her way over to the couch, smiling down at Ryan. Ryan was instantly more relaxed as he smiled back, his eyes softer than usual.

"Amy woke up?" he asked her quietly, though they all heard him anyway. When she nodded, he took her hand, pulling her down onto his lap. "You want me to go down and watch her?"

The woman shook her head, the smile never fading.

"Nope," she replied, sounding cheerful. "She's playing with..."

She looked to Derek and Casey for support, and Casey finally found her voice, biting her lip as she straightened up, clearing her throat.

"-Kelly," she put in, nodding, and the other woman thanked her, before turning back to Ryan pointedly.

"Kelly," she finished, and Casey's face was full of confusion as she looked around the room at everyone, shaking her head. She had no idea what was going on. She wanted to know who this woman was, though she would assume it was Ryan's girlfriend (or at least, she hoped that he was actually committed to this one), and she wanted to know what little girl Kelly was playing with downstairs.

But her questions were answered when Kelly climbed up over the short flight of carpeted steps, followed by another little girl, a tiny bit younger, with blonde hair, and the unmistakeable features of her father, who was sitting on the couch across the room. It all clicked into place for Casey, then. This was Amy, and the girl on Ryan's lap was the woman he'd lost so long ago; Melanie.

She raised her gaze to lock her eyes with Ryan's, and she couldn't help but smile a little as Melanie said something to her daughter, who was holding up a Barbie that she'd evidently found in her cousin's toy trunk downstairs. She understood by the smile that Ryan was returning her with that he had taken her advice. He had gone after his girl, and he'd won. When she studied him closer, she could even see the sense of happiness and responsibility that lingered in his eyes now. It replaced the confusion and absolute mess that had once been there.

"Daddy, look!"

Ryan was forced to tear his gaze away from Casey's as he looked down at the excited little girl, who was now holding the doll out to her father.

"My shirt!" she said, and Ryan looked puzzled for a moment, before realizing that the shirt on the doll slightly resembled the one the little girl was wearing herself. They were both made of pink and white stripes, though the doll's shirt was dark pink, whereas Amy's was white. He grinned, leaning forwards to take the doll from her hands.

"Is that so?" he asked, sounding interested as his girlfriend shifted off of his lap, and settled in next to him. She nodded, and Ryan placed the doll down next to him, and patted his lap. His daughter flashed him an excited grin, and scrambled into his lap happily. Ryan's arms wrapped around her to secure her, and Derek and Casey both watched in awe as he kissed the side of his daughter's head, looking down at her with so much affection that it was so obvious to tell that their father and daughter bond was incredibly strong.

"So if your cousin happens to have a Barbie dreamhouse downstairs, does that mean I've gotta buy you a big house on the beach, or something?" he asked, and Melanie's eyes widened slightly as she placed her hand against her forehead, groaning.

"Don't give her ideas, please," she begged, and Amy giggled, hopping down off of her father's lap, and scrambling towards the hallway, to get to her cousin's bedroom. She called out to her oldest cousin, who joined her after a few moments, and within a moment, the two of them had disappeared downstairs again. Kelly quickly followed, and Casey looked to Melanie, shaking her head.

"Are you-"

"Melanie," the woman said, with an articulate smile. "I'm Ryan's fiance. You must be Casey."

"_Fiance_?" Derek choked out, his eyes widening with shock. Ryan raised an eyebrow, and Melanie frowned as she turned to face her boyfriend.

"They don't know?" she questioned, sounding just as confused as Casey was right now. She placed a hand over his, shaking her head. "I thought you told them ages ago."

Ryan blushed, squirming uncomfortably as he allowed his eyes to flicker up to Casey's for a moment. She couldn't look away. She was absolutely amazed by how much Ryan had changed over the nine or ten months that they had been apart. She couldn't believe that he had actually taken her advice, and rebuilt the bonds that he had so creatively destroyed mere years ago. The sparkle in his eyes now represented everything that he had been looking for in Casey. But just as both Derek and Casey had known all along, Casey would have never succeeded in installing such a strong sense of happiness in Ryan. Only Melanie could do that, and judging by the engagement ring that was now resting on her finger, Casey supposed that they were both making each other very happy.

Melanie tilted her head, looking Ryan in the eye as she struggled to understand what was going on.

"You told me Casey was a friend, when Cole mentioned her," she reminded him, causing the deep blush already settling into his cheeks to strengthen. "Why wouldn't you tell her? Don't you guys talk or anything?"

And as she caught sight of the look on Derek's face, one that suggested that the wheels in his mind were turning already, just _aching _to cause Ryan as much emotional damage as he had caused him...

She knew that she couldn't let him do that.

Grabbing onto Derek's hand gently to prevent him from speaking and screwing everything up, she answered so that Ryan wouldn't have to.

"We haven't talked in a long time," she admitted, shrugging. "I had alot going on in my life. That little guy over there-" she said, smiling towards her son, who merely scowled, "-he had to attend a center in Toronto for brain damage, and I was really busy with going back and forth to see him every weekend. Aside from that, me and my husband just had a baby three and a half months ago, and... well, you know how busy things cna get, right?"

She forced a fake smile, and she was sure that Melanie wasn't entirely convinced of Casey's honesty, but she ignored it as she nodded hesitantly, sensing that there was something more going on that nobody was telling her about. Casey saw Derek giving her an angry glare out of the corner of her eye, but she squeezed his hand tightly to tell him not to contradict her. He bit his lip, looking away from her, and it was so obvious that he was not at all pleased with her. But right about now, she didn't care. Ryan had found the right girl for him, and she didn't want either of them to have to suffer anymore. They both deserved this kind of happiness, and she didn't want Derek to destroy it out of the mere drive of revenge. She wouldn't let him do that.

Melanie sighed, deciding to just buy whatever excuses Casey was throwing out there. It was clear that she didn't want to be involved in any drama with people that she had just met, so she smiled shyly at Casey, nodding her head.

"Yeah, things can get pretty hectic with kids around," she agreed, and Casey knew that this point was at least articulately expressed. "How many do you have?"

"Four," Casey said, leading Derek over to the loveseat, where they both sat down. Jayden followed, perching himself on the arm of Casey's half of the seat, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets as he stared down at the ground blankly, probably bored by now.

"How many do you have?" Casey questioned, trying to be as friendly as possible with Melanie. "Just one?"

Melanie nodded, smiling proudly at the mention of her only daughter. Casey could tell how happy Melanie was about being a mother; it shone through in her smile, in her eyes, and in her words, as she spoke again.

"Yeah, I've just got Amy, for now."

She looked over at Ryan at her last words, emphasizing them as she raised an eyebrow. Ryan caught sight of the look on her face, almost trying to send him a hint, and he blushed as he shrugged his shoulders aimlessly, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation, yet determined to stand strong on his opinion.

"I've told you a million times," he said, sounding a little bit embarassed. "I'm not ready for another kid yet. I'm just getting used to having one, and... I want to be married and everything before we think of expanding the family we've already got."

She rolled her eyes, nodding as she looked away, recognizing defeat. Casey was completely shocked at all of the new revelations unfolding right in front of her eyes. How the hell had all of this happened in a mere ten months? Ryan had a family that he was actually responsible for; Ryan was being rational, and taking the time to plan out his family's future. It was so unlike him. Ryan was the sort of guy who you automatically expected to act impulsively and irrationally. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe she didn't have enough faith in him, because she just expected him to act like a ten year old when it came to making decisions. But maybe Ryan had finally come to his senses, and realized that his life was going nowhere, before. Maybe he had changed for the better. Or maybe she had never gotten to know the real him. They had been close friends, of course, but maybe there was a whole other side of Ryan that had been hiding all along, masked in the shadows of the mistakes he had once made? Melanie forgiving him for those mistakes would surely vindicate him of his mistakes, right? Maybe he was a whole new person, when he had his reasons for being responsible and rational.

And as she saw Ryan pull Melanie closer, and kiss the side of her head, she was sure that even Derek knew not to mess with the new couple. Clearly, nothing was going to tear them apart, if nobody was trying to. And she had a feeling that Derek knew that messing up Ryan's relationship would make him just as bad as the man he so despised. He had his girl, and now he had to let Ryan have his.

- - - -

By the time Derek parked the vehicle in their driveway back at home, at ten o'clock that night, both Jeff and Kelly had dozed off to sleep in the backseat. Tara had been asleep when they put her into the vehicle to begin with, and even Jayden was beginning to doze off. It had, after all, been an extremely long day.

Derek shut off the engine, and turned to look at Casey, feeling rather tired himself.

"You help Jeff inside, and I'll bring Kelly upstairs to get changed," he said to her, knowing that Kelly would be crankier upon waking up than Jeff would be. He turned to look over his seat at his oldest son, and he looked hopeful as he raised an eyebrow.

"Can you bring Tara inside and put her to bed, bud?"

Jayden sighed, though they both knew that he didn't really mind helping out with his siblings. Having to grow up so quick, with all of the constant changes in his life, Jayden had learned how to be mature, and he knew how to be helpful and resourceful. And although he did have a great sense of humour, everything that he had been through in his young life gave him a very serious edge, one that shone through when he was helping his parents out with the kids.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, grinning slightly at his father.

"Fine," he said, as he grabbed one of the bags of Jeff's presents off of the floor. "But you do realize that if you guys have another kid, you're out of helping hands?"

"We'll train Jeff," Derek put in, shrugging, at the same time as Casey said;

"We've already got four, how many kids do you think we need?"

Casey and Derek looked at each other, Casey with annoyance, and Derek with a smirk on his face. It was clear that Derek was just being playful, while Casey was being perfectly serious, but they all understood that none of them knew what the future would hold, and that anything could happen. Four was a big number, sure, but both of them had grown up in a house with five kids. They were used to large families, and they were still in their very early thirties. Only time would tell where their family would go from here. But as of right now, they were perfectly happy, just the six of them.

Jayden opened up his door, rolling his eyes at his parents, and they all climbed out of the SUV that Derek had purchased a few months before Tara had been born. With a sixth person on the way, it had been obvious that the car they had relied on for so long would no longer be adequete seating space for their family. So Derek had gone big, and bought a dark red SUV that he was practically in love with. He was always cleaning it, or freaking out if any of the kids so much as brushed by it with one of their bikes, or toys. Eating was carefully monitered inside of Derek's precious baby, and Casey often teased him, saying that he was just as obsessive as George had once been about the Prince. He told her she was silly, and he didn't have any obsession with his car, so she could stop being so harsh. She had merely laughed at this, and walked away.

Jayden had somehow gotten them to agree to handing over the car. He had his permit, and could get his liscense soon. He said that giving him their old car would be cheaper than buying him a new one. Either way, Jayden would be getting a car; that much was inevitable. So they had given him permission to use that car for his own personal use, once he got his liscense. He had to pay half of his insurance by himself, plus pay for his own gas money, and he had to let them use it when they happened to need both vehicles for the day. He had agreed, merely happy that he now owned a car. Kayla had been completely impressed with this, though she had claimed she'd love him even without the car. But it was so obvious that she was dying for Jayden to get his liscense. Casey knew what that was like. Back in high school, dating boys with cars had always been alot cooler.

"Ah," he said, eyeing his car, which was parked in the driveway, since Derek had taken him out driving the night before. He usually left it in the garage, but sometimes he'd leave it out front.

He glanced over at Derek and Casey, grinning hopefully.

"My baby," he said, sighing as he gazed happily at his car. "It'd be so nice to... you know... take it for a little spin on these nice, _empty_ roads... that lead to my girlfriend's house. Too bad my parents won't let me drive it on such a calm night like this."

Derek laughed at Jayden's less than subtle attempt to give them a hint, and he slammed his car door, going around to the back to get his daughter out.

"Yeah, what horrible parents we are- not letting you get dismembered in some fatal car crash. How do you even put up with us?"

Jayden rolled his eyes, leaning back against the SUV as Derek leaned in and unbuckled Kelly's safety belt, as Casey gently woke Jeff up, on the other side of the car.

"C'mon, Dad," he said, grinning as he tilted his head back, letting the wind ruffle his hair gently. "I'm a good driver. You know that. I just finished driving school."

"It's only a few weeks, Jayden," he reminded his son, as he lifted Kelly up as gently as possible into his arms, her head falling onto his shoulder for support automatically.

"C'mon, monster; time for bed," he whispered to her, kissing the side of her head as he grabbed one of their bags off the floor with his other hand, and shut the door, which locked automatically. He caught sight of Jayden's position against the side of the vehicle, and his eyes widened and he used his foot to push Jayden in the other direction as gently as possible, which didn't work out too well.

"You, away from the... what are you... _gah_!" he cried, frustrated that he could not use his hands to get his son away from his precious SUV. He frowned, his eyes taking on that of a puppy dog's expression.

"_Caseyyyyy_," he whined, pouting as she came around the back of the van, holding the hand of a very sleepy looking seven year old in a Wonderland t-shirt. She raised an eyebrow at him, not seeing what was wrong. He nodded towards Jayden, as though the world was about to come to an end.

"He's leaning against my car!" he said unhappily. "Make him stop!"

Casey stared at him for a moment, blinking, before turning to her youngest son, and shaking her head.

"Let's get you up to bed, before your father's craziness starts rubbing off," she said, reaching down to lift him up. He was a small boy as it was, and being fed through an IV for almost half a year hadn't helped him at all. He was slowly gaining it all back, but she could still lift him up into her arms, when she had to.

Derek scowled at her retreating figure as she walked off, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Go get your sister," he said, before wandering off after his wife.

Jayden shook his head, laughing at his father. His family was so screwed up, half the time, and they were all the most insane people he would ever meet in his entire life. But as he lifted his infant sister out of the car, holding her head carefully for support, he couldn't help but smile.

Because he wouldn't have it any other way.

- - - -

Once they had finally got all of the kids settled away to bed, minus Jayden, who was playing some XBOX downstairs, Casey and Derek returned to their bedroom, absolutely exhausted from such a long day. Derek collapsed immediately onto their bed, not even changing, and he stared up at the ceiling, completely wiped. Casey, however, was a girl, and therefore decided she would take her sweet time getting ready for bed, just to be difficult. Or at least, that was Derek's perspective on it. He tilted his head back against a pillow that he had pulled down to his head, and he let his legs hang over the edge of the bed, his feet barely brushing the floor. He watched as Casey undid the clasp on her earrings, and placed them delicately into the little glass dish next to a picture of Kelly and Jayden. She picked up a comb, and she gazed into the mirror as she combed it down through her long brown hair. She was smiling gently at her reflection, and though Derek thought it was her being egotistical, she was really on the verge of laughing at him. He looked so cute when he was impatient with her. She purposely went slower, watching as his pout grew even bigger, and even more adorable.

Finally, she couldn't handle it, and she let a soft giggle escape her lips. His senses immediately jumped to action, and the pout slightly disappeared as he scowled, glaring at her in the mirror.

"What are you laughing at, exactly?" he asked, not appreciating being left in the dark aobut this. She merely smiled, shaking her head, and he sat up a little bit straighter, looking thoroughly confused.

"Tell me," he said, and she placed the comb down, before turning to face him. She was smiling as she shrugged and made her way towards him, and he reached for her hands, which she allowed to lock with his softly. He kissed the back of her right hand, his eyes never leaving hers as he pulled her between his legs happily.

"What's so funny?" he questioned, and she shook her head, the smile never fading.

"You're just cute, that's all," she said, and he decided to let the topic go as she used their entwined hands to push him back onto the bed, smirking. He gulped happily, staring up at her as she shifted on top of him, moving so that they were actually on the bed, as opposed to half on the floor.

"Aren't you awfully pleasant tonight?" he laughed, as she placed one knee on either side of him, and leaned down to kiss him. She used her elbows to prop herself up on either side, and she grinned as she saw that he was smiling.

"I'm always pleasant," she said, knowing he would find this amusing. "You just.. frustrate me, sometimes."

"I frustrate you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he laughed. "That's the bets thing I've heard all day. Along with all the constant demands and requests you throw at me."

Casey shook her head, biting her lip playfully.

"Nuh-uh, Venturi," she contradicted, unwilling to let him win. "See, I cook you food, and do your laundry, and clean up after your biohazardous hygeine habits..."

He still looked unconvinced, so she gently brushed her lips against his in a teasing sort of way, and pulled back, her eyes looking right into his.

"-and I kiss you," she finished, and he smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist happily.

"Sold," he whispered, before pressing his lips against hers. She shifted so that she was closer in his arms, but the next thing she felt was a pillow connect with the side of her head. She let out a little gasp as she pulled away from the kiss, glaring down at him with shock. He was laughing as though this was the funniest thing he had ever seen, and her face went red as her eyes flashed with anger.

"Not funny, Derek!"

He stopped laughing long enough to nod his head, struggling for air.

"It looked pretty funny from down here actually," he told her, and she only turned redder. "Here's the deal, babe. You may cook me food, kiss me, and clean up after me, but I keep you on your feet, not to mention keep your gaurd up."

"By _smacking_ me in the head with a _pillow_?"

He shrugged, still grinning.

"What can I say?" he challenged, superiority in his voice. "When you got it, you got it. And I got_ it _in all the right places, baby."

She rolled her eyes, acting disgusted with him as he laughed at her.

"You're an egotistical loser," she said, but she was grinning as she hit his shoulder to try and get him to stop laughing at her. "Derek! Give it up. It's not funny anymore."

"If it wasn't funny, I wouldn't be laughing."

He did, eventually, stop. It took about four smacks to the side of the head, a couple of threats to not kiss him for a week, and a good lecture about she hoped his laughter could keep him company at night for him to finally give it up, but he stopped.

They lay there twenty minutes later, both of them tired and wanting to go to sleep, but neither of them wanting to get up and get changed for bed. Derek was on his side, with his arms around her as she laid on her back. He was pressing kisses along her cheeks, bored and tired, and she had her eyes half shut as she just let him continue with his cute little gestures. She had a lazy smile plastered across her face as she felt his lips trail down to her neck, and back up along her chin.

"Der_ekkk_," she whined, laughing gently as she put absolutely no effort into pushing him away. He smirked against her skin, but didn't move as he felt her body shake gently with her laughter.

"C'mon, I wanna go to sleep," she complained, her face scrunched up gently. "Go away."

"You're not trying to sleep, liar," Derek mumbled, grinning. "You don't like sleeping without pajamas. Now shut up and let me kiss you."

"No," she mumbled, laughing. "I wanna sleep."

"Life's tough," he said, shrugging. "I've told you that plenty of times before, and do you trust what I'm saying? No, of course not."

She was silent for a moment as something registered in the back of her mind. All thoughts of being playful and cute were shoved to a dark corner of her mind as she opened up her eyes, and tilted her head to look at Derek. He lifted his head to look her in the eye, frowning slightly as he saw the look of realization in her eyes. A barrier was suddenly knocked down, and they were both completely serious all of a sudden.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice shaking with slight nervousness. "What did I say?"

"Nothing," she said quietly, shaking her head. "It's just... I just remembered something you said earlier, and I want to know if it's true."

Derek raised an eyebrow, not appearing completely convinced that he hadn't done something wrong. He nodded, motioning for her to go ahead with her question, and she took a deep breath, looking him right in the eye.

"Do you really trust me again?" she asked, barely daring to sound hopeful. "You said you do, and I want to believe you, but I can't help but wonder if it was just something you said so Ryan wouldn't think that he had the ability to screw everything up on us."

He relaxed as he lay down against the bed again, coaxing her down with him. She reluctantly lay on her back next to him, her head still tilted to watch him carefully. He smoothed his hand down over her hair, his fingers threading through the fine pieces as he examined her face, thinking hard.

"It's complicated," he admitted, shrugging. She felt her heart drop, but listened intently as he went on. "I do trust you again, Case... I really do. I trust you with everything, except for one thing."

"And what's that?" she asked, her eyes staring downwards, to avoid having to look at him. She was scared of his answer, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. "What don't you trust me with?"

"Ryan," he said, shrugging. "I can trust you with anyone, and anything else. But I don't trust you with Ryan. It's so complicated, because I know you'd never cheat on me again. I saw how torn up you were about me almost leaving you. I know that you know better. But... I don't know, a part of me gets scared when you're with him. I just keep remembering everything that happened, and I get all doubtful again."

She was obviously upset, and he kissed her cheek gently to calm her a little bit.

"To answer your question... yes, I do trust you. But you were only half right, because I did sort of lie back there. Ryan is the one person I don't trust you around. That probably won't ever change, and I think you can understand that."

She nodded hesitantly. She did understand. She didn't like it, not at all, but she understood.

"Yeah, it's fine, I get it," she said, her voice shaking slightly, and he cringed, tilting his head to look her in the eye. He looked concerned, and he watched as she bit her lip, looking distracted. He reached out, brushing his fingers against her face gently.

"Case?"

"What?" she got out, a little more harshly than intended. She looked up into his hurt eyes, softening a little when she noticed that she had offended him. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Derek," she said, feeling like the biggest bitch ever. She always felt this way when they brought up her past affair with Ryan.

"What is it?" she questioned, and he shook his head, kissing her hand gently.

"Never mind," he told her, deciding it wasn't important. "I just wanted to make sure you aren't upset with me."

Shaking her head, she managed to smile a little, knowing that he was worried that she may be angry.

"I'm not mad at you," she said honestly, smiling. She reached up, pinching his cheek playfully as he scowled. "How could I stay mad at this cute little face?"

Derek blushed deeply as he scowled, and rubbed at the place where she had pinched his skin.

"Not cool, babe," he said, trying not to smile. "You're treating me like you treat Jeff."

She smirked, nodding her head at him as another laugh escaped past her lips, causing him to get playfully annoyed with her.

"You're both my little men, too," she said, shrugging. "So it evens out, right?"

He appeared to be offended that she was holding him up to the same standards as a seven year old, so she kissed his forehead, running her hands through his hair gently.

"But you're also very attractive, and funny, and sexy, and-"

Derek cut her off with a kiss, and she smiled against his lips as he held her there for a second, not wanting to release her. But when it became evident that she needed oxygen, he let her go, pressing one last quick kiss upon her lips as he smiled.

"- the best kisser ever," he finished for her happily, a smug smirk on his face. They lay there for a minute, before she rolled off of him, and lay on her back. He rolled onto his left side, and leaned down to entwine his fingers with hers on one hand. He pressed a kiss against her knuckles, smiling down at her.

"I love you, you know that, right?" he asked, wanting to make sure she knew that, despite everything that had happened, he was still absolutely in love with her. "I don't forgive what you've done, but I've moved on from it. It's in our past."

She nodded happily. She had already known this, of course, but hearing Derek say the words was so comforting to her.

"I love you, too," she replied, knowing that he liked being told this. "It just amazes me that we got through all of this... everything that happened with Jeff was bad enough, and then the whole Ryan thing... and, well, I don't get how we made it through this, but we did."

Derek looked thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging, looking a little embarassed. She noticed the blush on his cheeks, and frowned.

"What is it?" she asked curiously. "You've got something you want to say, I can tell."

"No, I don't," he counteracted, and when she raised an eyebrow, he rolled his eyes, sighing. "Fine. I was just going to tell you that... even if you don't know how you got through all of this, I know exactly how I did it."

She was silent, which he took as his signal to continue, and he smiled a little, shrugging one shoulder sheepishly.

"I think I only got through it because you helped me," he said, not looking her in the eye anymore. "You were always there to talk to and stuff, and... well, you were my support. I got through it because I have you, Case."

She smiled. Yeah, he was definitely a cheesy guy sometimes. But he was her cheesy guy, and it was always going to stay that way.

"I think you're onto something there," she said, nodding. "And you don't gotta worry, 'cause I'm not going anywhere."

He smirked, his free hand running along the hem of her shirt gently.

"Good," he mused, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**Eh. Cheesy, yes. Slightly rushed, perhaps. But I hope it came out okay. I'm living off of about two hours sleep here. Anyways, thank you for sticking through these three stories, and thanks for all the reviews and everything guys. You all rock. Expect some more Dasey from me soon, because I have another story planned out. Review this story/trilogy ONE LAST TIME for me, please. That's all I ask ! Thanks. **


	34. Check It

**Check out the sequel. Visit my profile to read.**


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